Many businesses are reporting a lack of suitable candidates, a skills shortage and not enough interest in roles being advertised resulting in key roles remaining unfilled impacting the reopening of many businesses.
Furlough has been a lifeline for many businesses allowing them to retain skilled staff who otherwise would have lost their job.
While Furlough continues to support many industries severely impacted by the pandemic, many workers remain on furlough to ‘keep safe’ and to avoid the risk of losing the benefit rather than explore moving to available or even better roles.
Coaching a client last week he explained he would get hundreds of CV’s for similar advertised roles pre-Pandemic / pre-Brexit. In the last 5 weeks, he’s received just 4 CV’s. Two of them were from candidates across the world who have never been to the UK, but would love the opportunity to do so.
The timing makes it unclear as to whether the skills shortage is due to the pandemic being supported by furlough (from February 2020) or because of skilled labour moving back home post-Brexit (from January 2020). Both so close together.
The market will no doubt pick up for those looking to change roles and the availability of workers when furlough ends, but is the real issue due the Brexit or those who don’t want to risk losing the benefit of Furlough or something else?
Click here to see the thoughts on this dilemma impacting businesses and a the poll via LinkedIn.