Recovery threatened by skills shortages

A survey of 616 business leaders for The Prince’s Trust and HSBC’s Skills Crunch report has found that more than two thirds believe that a shortage of skilled workers threatens to halt the economic recovery. Just over half say they struggle to fill vacant roles and a third say they are witnessing a lack of trained applicants for entry level roles. A separate study by the Institute of Chartered Accountants and Grant Thornton found that the construction, utilities and IT sectors were hardest hit by skills shortages. The Prince’s Trust is calling for employers to provide more vocational training.