Recruiting the right employees at senior level is proving difficult for employers, according to the latest figures from the Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI).
Out of those firms expecting to recruit to the board and other senior posts over the next six months, around three in five anticipate difficulties, according to this quarter’s research which draws on responses from almost 2000 public and private sector employers. However, only 29% of respondents expect to have trouble filling graduate jobs.
“Employers want performance rather than potential; they want managers with great skills and a track record”, said Professor Shaun Tyson of Cranfield School of Management. “The problem is there aren’t many such managers on the market.”
Stephanie Richards, Recruitment Research Manager at the Daily Telegraph, believes that economic insecurity means that directors are reluctant to risk a job change: “It’s hard to persuade senior people to move at the moment”, she commented.
However, lack of confidence does not appear to have hit recruitment expectations, with nearly half of respondents saying there would be no change in their recruitment activity.
