BCC Quarterly Recruitment Outlook: Highest level of recruitment difficulties on record
A new survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) reveals firms are facing the highest level of recruitment difficulties on record.
The data for the leading business group’s Quarterly Recruitment Outlook (QRO) for Q4 2022 was drawn from a survey of more than 5,600 businesses, 92% of whom were SMEs.
Attempted recruitment in Q4 remained virtually unchanged from the previous quarter, with 61% of firms looking to find staff (62% in Q3 2022).
Overall, over eight in ten firms (82%) attempting to recruit reported recruitment difficulties, up from 76% in Q3.
While the problem is persistent across all sectors, firms in the hospitality sector are most likely to face challenges when recruiting, with 87% reporting difficulties. This is closely followed by the manufacturing sector on 85%, and the construction sector; professional services; and public, education, health sector all on 83%.
The recruitment pressure points vary across sectors. For firms who struggled to recruit in the construction sector, 73% faced difficulties in finding skilled manual/technical workers. However, for hospitality businesses that struggled to recruit, 70% faced difficulties in finding semi/unskilled workers.
Investment in training remains low; less than a quarter (24%) of firms reported an increase in their investment plans over the last three months. 60% reported no change to their plans, while 16% of firms reported a decrease.