Department for Education Employer Skills Survey 2017 results released today show again how communication and performance skills are high on the agenda for most employers.
Skills lacking among applicants for hard to fill vacancies
68% Management and Leadership: Managing or motivating other staff, Persuading and influencing others
45% Sales and Customer Skills
43% Communication Skills: Instructing, teaching, or training people, Making speeches and presentations
37% Team working
37% Self Management: Manage one’s own feelings and handle the feelings of others.
There has been little change since 2015 in terms of the types of skills that employers most commonly judged to be deficient among their workforce:
51% Team working
53% Managing and motivating staff, persuading or influencing others
49% Sales and Customer Skills
44% Self Management: Manage one’s own feelings and handle the feelings of others
44% Communication skills: Instructing, teaching, or training people, Making speeches and presentations
Most employers (62%) reported a need for at least some of their staff to acquire new skills or knowledge in the next 12 months. 31% Staff having been on training but their performance not improving sufficiently.
As organisations continue to grow and adapt to the changing world, employers anticipate that staff will need to acquire new skills over the next twelve months. These skills include:
71% Managing and motivating staff, persuading or influencing others
54% Communication skills: Instructing, teaching, or training people, Making speeches and presentations
45% Sales and Customer Skills
40% Team working
34% Self Management: Manage one’s own feelings and handle the feelings of others