Four-fifths (80%) of employers would consider hiring staff based on their aptitude with the intention of upskilling them. Over three-quarters (77%) of employers say they are concerned about the skills shortages within their organisation, whilst 60% of workers say they have concerns about skills shortages.

The Hays What Workers Want survey, which received over 5,100 responses from both employers and professionals found that alongside the willingness to hire staff with the view of upskilling, 74% of professionals said they would also consider applying for a role, even if they didn’t have all the required skills.

Those aged 18-24 are most likely to apply for a job without all of the required skills (80%), compared to just 61% of those aged 55-64.

Addressing learning to support skills shortages
60% of employers say they are providing learning resources to current employees to address their organisation’s skills shortage – however only half (50%) of professionals said they were satisfied with the learning resources their employer provides.

Similarly, only 33% of professionals said they had a career development plan in place that involves specific learning.

Simon Winfield, Managing Director of Hays UK and Ireland, comments: “Amidst a challenging hiring market, it’s positive to see that employers are more willing to recruit staff who might not tick all the boxes. This might mean recruiting staff with the intention of upskilling them, or hiring staff from different industries and providing training opportunities. Employers need to work hard to find unexpected talent and step away from relying on the same recruitment pools that they may have been in the past.

However, it’s clear that there’s work to do to provide better learning resources to support upskilling. Two-way communication is key to best support staff in their upskilling, and everyone – both employers and employees – are equally responsible for ensuring continuous learning happens. I’d recommend working with your employees to put structured learning plans and resources in place aligned to their professional goals and your organisation’s skills requirements.”

*Stats from Hays