Despite increased labour supply caused by job losses in the economic downturn, nearly three quarters of employers (73%) think the biggest resourcing challenge is the lack of necessary specialist skills.
According to the CIPD's Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey, the most effective recruitment initiative for employers has been to train existing staff to do new roles with 75% adopting this strategy. And 47% are addressing retention by increasing learning and development opportunities in their organisations.
Employers are taking a long-term view when it comes to taking on new staff, with 74% opting to hire staff that do not have all the skills needed to do their job but have the ‘potential to grow'.
Jill Miller, resourcing and talent planning researcher at the CIPD, said: "It's encouraging to see that employers have their eye on the long term in their recruitment strategies. In the face of the current resourcing challenges, they are looking at innovative ways to ensure they retain and develop their talent. This environment offers real opportunities for ambitious and motivated employees to secure learning and career progression opportunities that might have been more difficult to come by when firms were recruiting more regularly."
Lack of formal resourcing plans can damage business strategy, says CIPD
Fewer than six out of 10 employers (58%) have a formal resourcing strategy - and the CIPD believes this means recruitment is not always aligned to business plans in some organisations.
