There is a UK and worldwide crisis over workers' skills, according to new research.
Almost a third of employers are struggling to fill job vacancies and, while this has fallen ten per cent to 31 per cent over the last year, it is a persistent issue, Manpower's annual talent shortage survey revealed.
Romania, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia are among countries most adversely affected but the UK, Ireland, India and China also made the list.
The IT sector is experiencing great difficulty in filling jobs with the appropriate staff; Manpower said it exited the top ten list last year but is this year ranked among the most difficult positions to fill once more, alongside managers and executives.
Jeffrey A Joerres, chairman and chief executive, said: "The talent crunch is still a very real concern and employers need to continue their diligence in developing their employer brands and honing their talent strategies during 2008."
While employers worry about the quality of their workforce, employees themselves feel optimistic about their abilities to climb their career ladder and earn more this year, according to recent research from Hotonline Network, published in Online Recruitment magazine.
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