NI employers bid to cope with skills shortages
Large numbers of employers in Northern Ireland are carrying out staff training to cope with skills shortages, it was revealed today.
Some 42% of employers have organised off-the-job training for staff and 61% on-the-job training in the past year, according to the largest ever skills monitoring survey undertaken in the North.
The survey, published by the Northern Ireland Skills Task Force, showed skills shortages were most frequently reported in the business services and manufacturing industries, and for managers, senior officials, skilled trades, professionals and operatives.
The majority of employers reported that difficulty in filling vacancies had placed a strain on the management of existing staff in covering shortages – 67% in the private sector and 89% in the public sector.
Some 13% of employers reported a gap between the skills of their current workforce and those needed to meet their business objectives.
The skills gap were most often reported in the business services sector and education sector – with skills lacking in computer literacy/IT knowledge, practical skills and customer handling skills, interpersonal skills and general communication skills.
Among findings of the report were:
:: Current vacancies were reported by 16% of employers – 24% in the public sector and 14% in the private. The private sector figure showed a 7% drop in vacancies compared to two years ago.
:: 10% of employers reporting vacancies experienced difficulties in filling the jobs – however more than half were considered to be difficult to fill for reasons other than a lack of skills.
:: One in 10 employers reported difficulties in retaining staff, the biggest problems in the hotels and restaurant sector.
Welcoming the report, Jane Kennedy, Britain's Minister for the Department of Employment and Learning, said it was very timely.
“It looks at the skills and labour demands in both the private and public sectors, provides a valuable insight into employer needs and will assist decision making on programmes and more specific research,” she said.
The Task Force was to be commended on the part it was playing in developing a common understanding of the labour market thorough an excellent well-founded research programme, the minister added.
Task Force chairman, Bill McGinnis, said the survey provided an excellent overview of skill needs across the economy.
“There is a lot of valuable information in the report and it also raises a number of issues for us to consider.”
He thanked employers for their excellent response in replying to the survey. It had been “exceptional” and far exceeded the response rate to similar surveys in other UK regions and in the Irish Republic.
