CBI: Apprentice levy won’t fix skills crisis July 12, 2015 Britain’s top business group will lash out at the government’s new apprenticeships plan today, arguing that the move is “unlikely” to help fix the UK’s skills shortage. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) publishes a survey this morning showing that over half of firms are afraid that they will not be able to find staff [...]
Barclays share price climbs after board sacks Antony Jenkins in favour of boss with “new set of skills” July 8, 2015 Barclays chief executive Antony Jenkins has been sacked, with the bank's board saying it seeks a leader with "a new set of skills". Jenkins – who some dubbed the "nice guy of banking" – will leave the business on 17 July, when John McFarlane picks up the reins as executive chairman. A search [...]
Red tape to blame for City skills shortage: Demand for professionals stays strong but supply hampered by UK immigration rules July 7, 2015 Tough immigration rules and excessive regulatory standards has left City firms with severe skills shortages, according to new surveys. Growth in the number of jobs secured dropped to a two-year low in June, data released today by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation revealed. Demand for professional workers – which covers finance, law and IT among [...]
Study: Men overestimate their maths skills – which may explain the gender gap in STEM July 2, 2015 Men outnumber women significantly in technological professions, with giants like Apple and Google reporting that fewer than two in 10 tech employees are women. This isn’t because men are just better at maths and science, though. Instead, a new study suggests that it may be because men think they’re better than they really are. American researchers [...]
National Women in Engineering Day: Stereotypes are creating a huge skills gap in the UK’s engineering sector June 23, 2015 National Women in Engineering Day isn’t just a celebration. It’s a landmark opportunity to draw attention to a critical economic factor that can no longer be ignored: women need to fill an ever-growing engineering skills gap. Quite simply, the UK economy will not do well without engineers. Without skilled workers it is hard for [...]
UK’s skills shortage will get worse if we leave EU, says Manpower boss James Hick June 8, 2015 Britain must stay in the EU to avert a skills crisis in sectors from finance to the NHS, the boss of recruitment firm Manpower told City A.M. yesterday. James Hick said firms are already seeing a shortage of suitable workers and will rely very heavily on the free movement of people within the EU. “It [...]
Tech sector job creation climbs to new high but skills focus needed May 5, 2015 UK technology companies’ hiring has reached a record high despite the industry reporting slower growth in business. The tech sector UK business activity index published today by consultants KPMG and financial information firm Markit scored 55.7 for the first three months of the year. Any figure above 50 represents growth with higher scores marking faster [...]
It’s crunch time for the UK’s skills shortage: Our politicians must wake up April 26, 2015 Following the launch of the election manifestos, voters will be looking to understand exactly where each party is positioned on key issues from immigration and foreign policy to the NHS. Yet there is one area which still needs particular attention: addressing the UK’s skills shortages. This means making sure that British businesses have the right [...]
Full-time job hires pick up in the City as skills shortage persists April 20, 2015 City firms are significantly more likely to hire full-time, permanent employees than they were a year ago, according to a new report out today. There were 32 per cent more permanent roles available in the Square Mile in the first quarter of this year than there were in the first quarter of 2014, according to [...]
Wage increases gather pace as recruiters battle skills shortage April 9, 2015 Salaries for new staff rose at their fastest pace in six month in March, recruiters said today, as diving unemployment combined with strong growth to push up pay. Finance workers and engineers are in the highest demand, closely followed by executive staff. The study from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG found that almost [...]