“The news that vacancies are being unfilled due to a shortage of skills is a concern as we try to crack down on unemployment. Filling these roles is vital, however due to a shortage of skills being an issue, organisations should also look at their current talent pool. An organisation’s most valuable asset is its people but often when it comes to looking after existing employees many businesses focus the majority of their time, energy and budgets into sourcing new recruits over retaining its existing talent pool. It is vital that businesses do not take their workforce for granted and that steps are taken to improve staff retention.
“In today’s economic climate, retaining a relevant and talented workforce is imperative for business growth and development. Organisations who demonstrate commitment to their workforce’s wellbeing and development will reap the rewards. By evaluating the skills, traits and motivations of current employees against a focused talent strategy, employers can ensure all staff are provided with personalised development plans to help them progress.
“Not only does this allow individuals to improve their competency set, up skill and ensure their career is on track, but it allows organisations to benchmark this data against the qualities of current leaders within the company to identify existing employees who have the potential to be developed into a leadership roles. Organisations can find it to be an extremely effective business strategy as it encourages high-potential individuals to be nurtured and retained to ensure leaders of the future are in place to drive the business forward.”
Comment from Futurestep: Employer skills survey reveals ‘growing challenge’ of skills shortages
Richard Shea, Managing Director, EMEA Search, Futurestep:
