A report into employment and skills from a South West company has found that businesses in this region are optimistic when it comes to employing new staff; but do have concerns about skills.
GBRS Construction Recruitment commissioned independent market research company, Insight Data, to carry out the Employment and Skills Report 2015, which saw 24,678 business owners in South West firms employing more than six people, asked a series of questions.
The report found that of the businesses polled, 75% said they were planning to hire new members of staff in 2015; with 49% saying they planned to hire between one and three new members of staff; 6% saying between three and five and 20% saying they were looking to recruit more than five.
25 % said they had no plans to recruit this year and when asked their thoughts on UK employment levels in general, 64% said they expect more jobs to be created in the UK economy.
This was against 36%, who said they didn’t expect more jobs to be created than are currently available.
On the subject of skills, only 44% believe the people they are looking to employ have the skills they require and in 2015, only 39 % of business owners say they will be employing an apprentice, against 41 % who said they have no plans to do so, with 20% undecided.
Ben Milsom, director at GBRS, commented:
“As a company that operates in the employment and skills sector, and with lots of debate around work, we were keen to see what intentions businesses in the South West have around employment.
“Overall, the results were positive and show that firms in the region are confident going forward.”
Gary Higgins, also a director at the company, commented:
“Recruiting the skills they need is still an issue for some businesses, particularly in the construction sector. But still nearly half of those polled say they believe the skills they require are out there in the economy.”
