Employers lament shortage of skilled workers in key areas

EMPLOYERS are struggling to find sales reps and engineers despite the soaring unemployment rate.

Employers say there is a “disconnect” between skills sought and those possessed by available workers, according to a survey from recruitment firm Manpower.

In a separate survey, figures show that last month banks, insurance firms and marketing companies were hiring more staff.

Jobseekers and graduates have been told they must embrace lifelong learning to enhance their employability.

Manpower Ireland managing director Krissie Davis said: “While not all Irish employers are feeling the pain associated with the global talent shortage, some continue to be frustrated by the conundrum of an over-supply of available workers and an under-supply of qualified talent.”

The Manpower survey said 13% of employers said a lack of “hard” or technical skills was the reason why they cannot find the right talent, while 11% cited lack of experience. More than one in 12 said they were disappointed with candidates’ lack of business knowledge or formal qualifications.

Jobseekers have been advised to consider continuous training in their field or become fluent in a foreign language to become more attractive to potential employers.

“Competition for the best talent will increase as the economy improves, which means individuals who enhance their skills and employability to match their human potential to the visions of business will be those who win in the human age,” said Ms Davies.

This view is shared by chief operations officer with Premier Group Ireland, Karen O’Flaherty who said candidates with one or more European languages, especially those with finance and accounting, sales or IT experience remain in high demand.

The latest Morgan McKinley Irish Employment Monitor found banks began hiring at low volumes again last month. There was a slight increase too in hiring activity from the insurance sector in May, in particular for heads of finance and compliance specialists. There has also been a rise in job opportunities in marketing, especially in online marketing and social media.

Last month there was a drop of 3% in the number of new professional jobs in the market from April and compared with the same time last year, there was an 18% decline in the number of new professional job seekers.