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Demand for highly-skilled staff set to grow during the recovery
Employers fear they will not be able to find people with the skills they need to fill high-level jobs, a new survey reveals.
The survey was answered by 694 employers, which together employ over 2.4 million people and represent companies of all sizes and sectors.
Half of employers (51%) are concerned they will not be able to fill posts requiring the right graduate level or higher skills in the coming years, and a third (32%) don’t believe it will be possible to fill intermediate level jobs, requiring skills equivalent to A level. A third (30%) of employers predict the need for lower-level skills will decrease, while just 17% say it will increase.
Despite the recession, nearly half of employers (45%) say they are already having difficulty recruiting staff with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), with manufacturers and science-related businesses having the most difficulty finding highly-skilled people to fill their posts. Even more companies (59%) expect to have difficulty finding STEM-skilled people in the next 3 years. Richard Lambert, CBI Director-General, said: “Our survey shows businesses want tomorrow’s workforce to be at the top of the new government’s policy agenda. As we move further into recovery and businesses plan for growth, the demand for people with high-quality skills and qualifications will intensify.
“In the future, people with qualifications in science and maths will be particularly sought after, and firms say it is already hard to find people with the right technical or engineering skills. The new government must make encouraging more young people to study science-related subjects a top priority. Businesses can help by showing that these skills lead to exciting and rewarding careers, helping to tackle the big challenges, such as climate change and energy security.
“Employers across all sectors recognise there is a need to improve the calibre of leadership and management skills, and this is particularly marked in the public sector.”
High-level skills needed for the future
Employers were asked which A level subjects boost a young person’s job prospects. Most said young people should choose subjects which improved business ability and knowledge of science and numeracy – namely, business studies (42%), maths (21%), English (13%) and physics or chemistry (9%). The A levels employers rate least in terms of employability are psychology (3%) and sociology (1%).
Studying science to degree level also helps to boost employment prospects. Many employers (42%) do not require a particular degree subject, but a third (34%) say they prefer recruiting people with a STEM-related degree. There is an immediate return to studying STEM at university, with new engineering graduates earning an average of £22,000 and new science graduates earning £21,000. This is more than those entering finance, IT, sales or human resources earn on average, and only graduate managers and lawyers earn more in their first role.
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