The Great Resignation may be easing off, but the battle for talent shows no signs of abating. In May, the Office for National Statistics revealed that, for the first time since records began, there were more job vacancies than unemployed people in the UK. Particularly in terms of tech skills, businesses are suffering – research by Virgin Media O2 Business and Censuswide on the battle for talent found that 55% of respondents agreed that their organisation is having a shortage of skills in relation to digital technology, while 83% were concerned about the impact this could have on their organisation.
“The UK jobs market has an extreme shortage of talent,” says Josh Brenner, chief executive of AI-driven recruitment marketplace Hired. He cites three main factors: a shortage of skills, fewer European workers because of Brexit, and a tendency for empowered workers to quit their jobs in search of something better. The Battle for Talent report shows that 35% of respondents said there was no one with the expertise to replace some people who had left the company.
