Skills shortages. Table 6.1 shows data extracted from the national employer skills surveys undertaken separately in the four UK home countries between 2002–2005 (see section 2.1.2). This data reveals that overall: • A higher proportion of employers in the lifelong learning sector reported recruitment vacancies compared with all establishments, within each UK home country (except Scotland, where data was not available). • In all UK home countries the percentage of lifelong learning establishments with vacancies was higher than in all sectors together. However, the number of vacancies as a percentage of total employment was lower within the lifelong learning sector than in all sectors combined. ‘Skills shortage vacancies’ made up a higher proportion of vacancies described as ‘hard to fill’ within the lifelong learning sector than the all-sector average in each UK country. (UK employer skills surveys) • As a percentage of all vacancies, the proportion of vacancies classified as ‘skills shortage vacancies’, where applicants did not have the required skills, work experience or qualifications, was higher in the lifelong learning sector than the whole country average in Wales and Northern Ireland, but lower in England (data was not available for Scotland). • Skills shortage vacancies made up a higher proportion of vacancies classified as ‘hard to fill’ within the lifelong learning sector than the average in any of the four UK home countries as a whole. In Northern Ireland, the proportion of hard to fill vacancies accounted for by skills shortage vacancies was much lower than that in other home countries of the UK, suggesting that issues other than skills shortages were responsible for the majority of recruitment difficulties experienced. Table 6.1: General, ‘hard to fill’ and ‘skills shortage’ vacancies England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales LL Total LL1 Total LL Total LL Total % of establishments with vacancies 29% 18% 27% 16% * * 24% 21% Vacancies as % of employment 2.1% 2.9% 1.6% 2.5% 2.0% 3.6% 1.6% 3.5% Hard to fill vacancies as a % of all vacancies 24% 37% 41% 61% 17% 46% 23% 35% Skills shortage vacancies as a % of all vacancies 15% 24% 13% 7% * 25% 17% 14% Skills shortage vacancies as a % of hard to fill vacancies 69% 64% 32% 12% 66% 55% 73% 41% No. of skills shortage vacancies in lifelong learning (LL) 2,175 140 * 114 Sources: Individual employer skills surveys England – ‘National employer skills survey 2004’ (LSC, 2005b) Wales – ‘Future skills Wales 2005’ (Xxxxx and Xxxxx...
Skills shortages. Table 6.2 shows data extracted from the national employer skills surveys undertaken separately in the four UK home countries between 2002-2005 (see section 2.1.2). This data reveals that overall in Wales: • 24% of lifelong learning establishments reported vacancies compared to 21% of all employers. ‘Skills shortage vacancies’ made up a higher proportion of vacancies described as ‘hard to fill’ within the lifelong learning sector than the all-sector average in each UK country. (UK employer skills surveys) • However, total vacancies as % of employment were lower in lifelong learning employers (1.6%) than for all sectors (3.5%). • The proportion of all vacancies which were classified as ‘skills shortage vacancies’ (where applicants did not have the required skills, work experience or qualifications) in Wales was higher in the lifelong learning sector (17%) than the whole country average (14%). • In Wales 73% of all hard to fill vacancies in the lifelong learning sector were described as skills shortage vacancies, a significantly higher proportion than for the economy as a whole (41%). Table 6.2: General, ‘hard to fill’ and ‘skills shortage’ vacancies England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales LL Total LL1 Total LL Total LL Total % of establishments with vacancies 29% 18% 27% 16% * * 24% 21% Vacancies as % of employment 2.1% 2.9% 1.6% 2.5% 2.0% 3.6% 1.6% 3.5% Hard to fill vacancies as a % of all vacancies 24% 37% 41% 61% 17% 46% 23% 35% Skills shortage vacancies as a 15% 24% 13% 7% * 25% 17% 14% % of all vacancies Skills shortage vacancies as a % of hard to fill vacancies 69% 64% 32% 12% 66% 55% 73% 41% No. of skills shortage vacancies in lifelong learning (LL) 2,175 140 * 114 Sources: Individual employer skills surveys England – ‘National employer skills survey 2004’ (LSC, 2005b) Wales – ‘Future skills Wales 2005’ (Xxxxx and Xxxxxxx, 2006) Scotland – ‘Skills in Scotland 2004’ (Futureskills Scotland, 2005) Northern Ireland – ‘Northern Ireland skills monitoring survey 2002’ (DELNI, 2003) * denotes data not available 1 classified as ‘the education sub-sector’ The LLUK employer survey carried out as part of this research illuminates the main characteristics of these skills shortages, the relevant findings of which are illustrated in the figures that follow. For each occupational group, the survey asked respondents “at which skills levels does your organisation experience the greatest skills shortages?” It also asked respondents to identify the broad types of skills ...
Skills shortages. At the same time, there may be shortages of certain skills, leading to a need for foreign workers in specific sectors.
Skills shortages. 2.54. Skills Shortages are defined as the inability to recruit people with the appropriate skills at an appropriate wage (25). The symptoms of skills shortages include long-term unfilled vacancies and understaffing. The knock-on effects of this can include long working days and working weeks plus high overtime rates. Firms’ performance can also be affected, including their capacity to bid for and fulfil new work.
Skills shortages. Table 6.2 shows data extracted from the national employer skills surveys undertaken separately in the four UK home countries between 2002–2005 (see section 2.1.2).
