The report from jobs site CV-Library said that while the number of job vacancies had increased by 4.2% over the past year, the number of job applications had fallen by 4.8%

Britain less attractive to EU migrants

Lee Biggins, CEO of CV-Library said, "Britain is not as attractive to EU migrants as it was a year ago and the ensuing skills shortage has seen vacancies and salaries rocketing, in a bid to find the right candidates for the job."However, there has to come a point where employers draw the line on increasing salary offerings. While it's important to keep pace with the market, other strategies should be considered."Showing candidates that you're willing to respond to their needs is a better long-term solution, whether this is through flexible working hours, more holiday days or regular training. The prospect of job security will reassure candidates that it's possible to move jobs."The report said that cities such as Edinburgh, Cardiff, Bristol and Leicester had seen double-digit rises in vacancies in the past year.

Majority of manufacturers plan to up-skill existing workforce

Publication of the survey coincided with a report from the manufacturers' organisation Make UK (formerly EEF) showing that, while a third of manufacturers expected some low-skilled jobs to be lost over the next five years as a result of AI and digital technologies, more than half of companies planned to up-skill these workers to take the jobs that innovation creates.
Make UK said that more than two-thirds of manufacturers planned to invest in technical engineering skills training over the coming 12 months.

National Retraining Scheme

Verity Davidge, head of education and skills policy at Make UK said the government’s new National Retraining Scheme needed to be adjusted to make it properly effective for workers requiring new skills.“Currently, the scheme is being aimed at those employees whose jobs are at risk of being displaced as a result of AI and digitisation within their companies. But it fails to look at the fact that most companies want to retain their workers by up-skilling them to fill new jobs digital technologies will create, or place these employees in other parts of the business. This is the missing link in funding support and provision, which the Government’s Scheme could help to fix.“The cost of retraining and up-skilling a manufacturer can be high, and the National Retraining Scheme, when it is properly rolled out across the country, needs to be more widely available, including those employers who wish to up-skill their current workers, as well as for those employees who do find themselves in a position where they are looking for alternative employment.”Subscribe to Relocate Extra, our monthly newsletter, to get all the latest international assignments and global mobility news.Relocate’s new Global Mobility Toolkit provides free information, practical advice and support for HR, global mobility managers and global teams operating overseas.Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory