Employers struggling to fill in-demand positions

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Morale, productivity and retention are among the victims of extended vacancies, according to employers. When asked how extended job vacancies have adversely affected their firm, employers cited the following results:

• work doesn’t get done (31%)
• lower morale due to employees shouldering heavier workloads (26%);
• delays in delivery times (24%);
• lower quality of work due to employees being overworked (23%);
• employees are less motivated (23%);
• loss in revenue (22%);
• declines in customer service (20%);
• higher turnover because employees are overworked (19%);
• employees making more mistakes, resulting in lower quality of work (14%)

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When asked what they think is causing the skills shortage, employers offered the following opinions:

• not enough graduating in in-demand fields (52%);
• lack of interest in required fields (48%);
• employers and candidates have different expectations (41%);
• entry-level jobs are becoming more complex (37%);
• lack of funding in necessary training (36%);
• rapid changes in technology (34%); and
• increased competition for candidates (33%).

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In an effort to overcome these challenges, many employers are taking matters into their own hands and training workers on the job. Forty-six percent of employers say they’ve hired a low-skilled worker and trained him/her for a higher-skill job within their firms in the last two years. When asked how this practice has affected their firms, employers cited the following benefits:

• increased employee motivation (50%);
• improved employee loyalty (47%);
• it enabled us to be more competitive (46%);
• it enabled us to meet department goals (41%);

Companies are feeling the effect of a skills gap, from lower morale to higher retention rates to a loss of revenue, says Ryan Lazar, managing director of CareerBuilder Canada.

“Our findings indicate, however, that taking proactive efforts to train and reskill workers can go a long way in overcoming these challenges,” he adds. “While we still have a long way to go, the more we can identify the root of these challenges, the more opportunities we will find to bridge this gap.”

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