Page 15 - Gi flipbook - November 2018

Half of UK workers have

wrong skills for their job

AROUND HALF OF the UK of workers qualified to received training in the last
workforce could be in the degree level, but also the year, according to the survey. Half of UK workers
wrong job based on their highest proportion of jobs This was most likely to be face a skills mismatch
skills level, according to within the OECD that the case for older employees,
the CIPD. require no qualifications, those on low wages and
Its survey of 3,700 reports Personnel Today. part-timers, it found. jobs, while the proportion
employees, Over-skilled and Almost a third of Lizzie Crowley, CIPD Skills of low-skilled roles remains
underused: Investigating respondents to the CIPD’s Adviser, said that getting stubbornly high. This leaves
the untapped potential of survey said that they had the match right would help many workers trapped in
UK skills, found that 49 per been required to have a employers tackle the UK low skill work, which doesn’t
cent are in jobs they are degree for their job, but productivity crisis. match their ability, offers
either under-skilled or over- that lower qualifications “Individuals who report poorer pay and progression
skilled for. would have been fine to do using their skills fully in prospects and does little to
The findings suggested their job effectively. the workplace have higher boost the productivity of
a mismatch at either end At the same time, a levels of job satisfaction, organisations.
of the scale: 12 per cent of university degree was no earn more and are more “There needs to be a
workers felt they lacked all guarantee of being effective resilient to change, while much greater emphasis
of the skills needed to carry – 14 per cent of employees businesses benefit from a on how well existing
out their job effectively, with a degree said they more productive workforce skills and capabilities of
while 37 per cent thought were under-skilled for their and increased profitability,” individuals are harnessed
they had sufficient skills role, compared to 10 per she said. and developed at work,
to cope with a more cent without. “However, we have ended through better people
demanding job than their Despite this skills up in a situation where management practices and
current role. mismatch, almost a quarter our economy isn’t creating access to development
The UK has 42 per cent of employees have not nearly enough high-skilled opportunities.” ■

North Sea facing ‘skills shortage’ is a risk of a skills shortage.
She added that workers
as recruitment demand surges will need to upskill
themselves in order to
become attractive to
employers, who are looking
A RECRUITMENT Solutions (PERS) has seen exploration, as well as a for “Superman, versus Clark
SPECIALIST for the oil and recruitment demand increase requirement for engineers Kent” to tackle various roles.
gas sector has warned the by 46 per cent between to plug and abandon wells. Skills body Opito recently
industry is facing a skills October last year and June. Ms Wood said: “I think predicted the sector will
shortage amid a surge in Managing Director Louise there’s more market need to recruit 40,000
demand. Wood told Energy Voice the confidence, companies people in the lead-up to
Prodrill Energy Resource sector is making a recovery have put off projects as 2035, including 10,000 in
since the downturn, which long as they can. new areas such as robotics
saw the loss of tens of “Companies have been and artificial intelligence.
thousands of workers from very budget constrained Ms Wood added: “The
the sector. but you can only work with challenge we’re going
She said the industry is a very thin team over a to see is more people
not yet “crisis recruiting” but period of time. leaving the industry. We
is still working reactively to “It’s not crisis recruitment don’t necessarily have the
market conditions. but they just don’t have a mature competencies we
The surge in demand has long-term plan. Companies need coming through, the
been a result of improved aren’t looking to the next expertise is younger.
market confidence, five years yet, it’s still “The schools and
according to Ms Wood, but very reactive to market universities will need to
firms are still reluctant to conditions.” develop skills to meet the
look too far into the future. As new roles are created challenges ahead for the
The industry is not PERS has seen an through technology and more industry as the engineers
yet crisis recruiting increased need for on and mature workers leave the of today won’t be the
offshore-related roles in industry, Ms Wood said there engineers of tomorrow.” ■

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News.indd 10 18/10/2018 13:13