Hard filling

Citation

(2009), "Hard filling", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 58 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2009.07958fab.007

Hard filling

Article Type: News From: International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Volume 58, Issue 6

Hard-to-fill vacancies are costing the Welsh economy £31m in lost productivity each year, according to a study by Semta – the employer-led sector skills council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies.

The report, Engineering Skills Balance Sheet – Wales, sets out the critical skills supply and demand issues facing the Welsh engineering sector and what is required to address these issues. The main reason cited for hard-to-fill vacancies was a lack of applicants with required qualifications and skills.

Between 2008 and 2014, the report says there is expected to be a net requirement within the engineering industry in Wales for 6,000 employees while 11 per cent of engineering employees in Wales have no qualifications and many more are under-qualified for their roles. There is an annual requirement for the training of about 2,000 new recruits, across all occupations in the engineering sector in Wales, to replace those retiring.

Tailored funding packages can help employers, especially smaller businesses, improve the skills, productivity and competitiveness of their workforce and leave them in a better position to weather the downturn.