A survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has found that despite increasing unemployment, 45 per cent of businesses still find it difficult to recruit the correct person for a position.
Figures released last week show that the number of people out of work in the UK has risen to around 2.57 million, but many firms still claim they cannot find candidates who have the right skills for the job.
Businesses leaders also said they lack confidence in all levels of qualifications with just 45 per cent stating they are very or fairly confident in the skills offered by graduates and just 29 per cent feel the same way about school-leavers with A-levels or equivalent.
Only 20 per cent said they were very or fairly confident taking on someone from a public sector background and just ten per cent said they’d consider someone who has been unemployed for six months or more.
“The results also confirm that many firms looking to recruit are stymied by the poor skills available within the local labour pool,” said John Longworth, Director General of the BCC.
“Even at a time of record youth unemployment, firms lack confidence in our education system’s ability to deliver basic literacy and numeracy skills.”
