
Why are British businesses struggling to recruit?
The real question business owners should be asking themselves is, ‘why are employees being so choosy?’ Bosses who have worked hard to forge their way in the business world may feel that this problem could be classed as a luxury. After all, shouldn’t candidates be happy that there is a high demand for jobs as well as the opportunity to receive a better wage?The Brexit blame
Salt says that political uncertainty is not only making employees cling to their current jobs, but it’s also making them fearful about moving sectors – with many seeing it as the wrong climate to take risks.He adds that as a “result, organisations have had no choice but to push up pay in a bid to entice professionals out of their current roles.”You would think better money would be a motivator for many to take a leap in a different corporate direction, however, these efforts aren’t paying off, he says.
Could vacant jobs trigger a bust?
“If the government does not focus on boosting the UK economy, we may well see a high number of UK companies reach breaking point in the next six months,” he adds.Some sectors might not make it
These statistics reveal that we’re teetering on the economic edge. It’s a climate where certain industries might not survive in the long-term. For example, whilst jobs in construction have seen a 21.7% increase in the number of applicants this year, there has been a 26.8% decrease in people applying for retail-based roles, something that has, (no doubt), been spurred on by the decline of the British high street.Is market disruption to blame?
The sectors that seem to be struggling to recruit candidates are ones which are being disrupted by new technologies. For example, in the customer service industry, the likes of chatbots and other advancements in AI could render human employees obsolete. This is the same with retail, where the e-commerce revolution has stalled the more traditional businesses in the sector. Even more startling is the fact that the social care industry looks set to be disrupted by ‘robot carers’. Does your business operate in one of the sectors that are failing to attract talent? Check below…1. Agriculture

- 8,160 fewer applications (34.5%)
2. Customer Service

- 283,079 less applications (down 32.3%)
3. Hospitality

- 35,969 less applications (down 30.6%)
4. Retail

- 135,288 less applications (down 26.8%)
5. Social Care

- 79,726 less applications (down 19.9%)
Share this story