Latest news with #skillsgap
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Greater Lincolnshire mayor Andrea Jenkyns in the BBC hot seat
The Greater Lincolnshire mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns has been in the hot seat on BBC Radio Reform UK representative was elected last month after recieving 42% of the Andrea was taking questions from presenter Carla Greene, as well as those from are the four big takeaways from what she had to say – and you can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds. 1. Trade college to be built Matthew Burke from Grimsby wants to see more job opportunities in North East Lincolnshire. The 33-year-old said: "Look at what other cities are doing and just try and bring that to Grimsby."Bringing investment to the local area is a key role of the Greater Lincolnshire Andrea announced she wanted to build a trade college in the area. She said: "We know right across the country we've got a shortage of plasterers, plumbers, builders. "Lecturers make more money in the private sector than actually teaching so we need to look at that skills gap." 2. Fair funding across the region Dame Andrea was asked specifically what she would be doing to help people in Northern responded: "I don't have this silo approach".The mayor was keen to stress that she would not be favouring one part of the region over another and said her role would help to bring a better said: "The good thing about a mayor is that you've got an overview of the whole county so you can ensure fair funding across the area."You can't have one part missing out." 3. Improvements to the care sector Corrina Pett is a mental health support worker in North Lincolnshire. She said she wanted to see more unemployed people trained to help fill the gaps in the care said: "There shouldn't be a shortage with the amount of unemployed people here."Dame Andrea said she wanted to change attitudes towards the sector."These are valuable roles and they're not to be looked down on."It's about working with the councils, colleges and care providers to ensure school leavers see this career as a viable option." 4. Transport plans Bill, a BBC Radio Humberside listener, asked why the East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire area missed out on billions of pounds worth of investment for transport Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday funding for tram, train and bus schemes in mayoral authorities across the Midlands, the North and the West Andrea Jenkyns said she wanted to come up with a fully costed transport plan for Greater Lincolnshire and promised to fight the business case for more transport investment for the said: "The Government has given money where they've got Labour mayors and this is why we need to clean up politics."The mayor made transport one of the key pillars of her election campaign by pledging to create investment in major roads such as the A15, A52 and A17, along with "proper integration between buses, trains and cars".HM Treasury for a comment. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BreakingNews.ie
30-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Nearly 70% of job applications rejected due to lack of relevant skills, survey shows
Two in three job applications are rejected due to a lack of relevant skills, which is leading to slower and more resource-intensive hiring for employers, according to a new survey. The IrishJobs Recruiter & Jobseeker survey gathered insights from 553 recruiters and 738 jobseekers in Ireland to identify changing attitudes and actions on hiring processes in a fast-evolving labour market. Advertisement Findings from the survey show that 68 per cent of job applications are rejected due to a lack of relevant skills which is impacting the speed and quality of recruitment. As a result, 78 per cent of employers are not satisfied with the quality of job applications received for open positions, indicating a growing disconnect between what employers are looking for and where jobs candidates can deliver, IrishJobs said. This dissatisfaction results in just 25 per cent of candidates progressing to the interview stage, with manual screening slowing decisions and making it easier to miss strong candidates. This finding is a sign of the growing gap between the talent needs of employers and the relevant capabilities provided by candidates. A lack of relevant skills is the main reason applications are rejected. This is followed by a lack of relevant experience and unexplained employment gaps. Advertisement Beyond skills and experience – presentation also plays a role in whether candidates make it through the recruitment process. More than one in five (21 per cent) job candidates are rejected due to poorly formatted applications. In response, a growing number of jobseekers are turning to AI to improve their applications. Findings from the research show that 35 per cent of candidates are now using AI to optimise the formatting and language quality of their documents. With AI tools being used by more job candidates to generate content including CVs and cover letters, employers should consider evolving their hiring processes to ensure more holistic candidate evaluation. Advertisement Job advert disconnect 77 per cent of jobseekers believe the expectations and responsibilities of open roles were not clearly outlined in adverts during their last job search, according to the survey findings. This uncertainty can have a significant impact on the success of recruitment. One in five (20 per cent) of jobseekers will decline a job offer after an interview if expectations differ significantly from those originally advertised. Candidates are also deterred by missing information. Half of candidates (50 per cent) say the absence of a salary range makes them less likely to apply. Nearly as many (44 per cent) are put off by unclear job titles, while a third (33 per cent) report that vague descriptions of job benefits also impacts their decision. Developing clearer and more detailed job ads is one of the steps employers can take to address these challenges and enhance the quality of applications. Advertisement With 74 per cent of recruiters saying that improved job descriptions lead to better applications, it is clear that greater clarity (on everything from salary and benefits to responsibilities and expectations) can help bridge the gap between candidates and employers and streamline the recruitment process. Ireland Half of Irish adults say their DIY skills are 'wel... Read More Commenting on the findings, country director of The Stepstone Group Ireland with responsibility for IrishJobs, Sam Dooley, said: 'Against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, we can expect a slower pace of employment growth in Ireland over the coming months. "Despite this evolving environment, the rate of unemployment in Ireland remains close to historic lows, with many employers still struggling to navigate a highly competitive market for talent and attract the high calibre talent needed to unlock future growth. "It's clear from the findings of the IrishJobs Recruiter & Jobseeker survey that the quality of job applications received by employers in Ireland is having a direct impact on recruitment. "A high volume of applications from candidates without the relevant skills for roles is creating challenges for many employers, resulting in a slower pace of hiring and the need for additional resources to manage the hiring process."
Zawya
20-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Jordan's banking sector faces critical skills gap as digital transformation accelerates
AMMAN — Despite Jordanian banks increasingly hiring fresh graduates, a significant skills gap is threatening the long-term success of new talent in a sector undergoing rapid digital transformation, according to a recent study by the Association of Banks in Jordan (ABJ). In a statement to The Jordan Times, the ABJ said the study, conducted in the first quarter of 2025, gathered responses from human resources executives across Jordan's banking institutions. The findings highlight a changing employment landscape. In 2024 alone, Jordanian banks hired 2,613 new employees, nearly half of whom were recent graduates, a figure the ABJ says signals growing opportunities for young professionals. However, the sector's accelerating adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and automation is reshaping job demands. While traditional roles such as tellers and customer service agents remain necessary, banks are increasingly prioritising skills in areas like data analytics, cybersecurity, mobile app development, and digital customer support. 'The study shows that key competencies now sought by banks include effective communication, digital literacy, and analytical thinking,' the ABJ said, adding that a clear mismatch exists between higher education outputs and the evolving needs of the financial sector. The report also found that banks tend to favour graduates from universities known for academic excellence and modern programmes in disciplines such as AI and cybersecurity. Although some cooperation exists between universities and banks, over one-third of institutions surveyed reported no formal training partnerships, a gap that hampers efforts to align curricula with market requirements. To bridge the divide, the ABJ recommended reforms in university curricula to embed future-focused skills, the introduction of minors in fintech and digital banking, and the implementation of mandatory internships. It also calls for the creation of banking simulation labs within universities and the development of stronger strategic partnerships between academia and the financial sector. These local findings mirror global trends. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that while 83 million jobs are expected to disappear worldwide, 69 million new roles will emerge, many of them in tech-driven fields, the statement said. © Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Jordan Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Jordan Times
Jordan's banking sector faces critical skills gap as digital transformation accelerates
Jordanian banks hired 2,613 new employees in 2024, nearly half of whom were recent graduates (Photo courtesy of Association of Banks) AMMAN — Despite Jordanian banks increasingly hiring fresh graduates, a significant skills gap is threatening the long-term success of new talent in a sector undergoing rapid digital transformation, according to a recent study by the Association of Banks in Jordan (ABJ). In a statement to The Jordan Times, the ABJ said the study, conducted in the first quarter of 2025, gathered responses from human resources executives across Jordan's banking institutions. The findings highlight a changing employment landscape. In 2024 alone, Jordanian banks hired 2,613 new employees, nearly half of whom were recent graduates, a figure the ABJ says signals growing opportunities for young professionals. However, the sector's accelerating adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and automation is reshaping job demands. While traditional roles such as tellers and customer service agents remain necessary, banks are increasingly prioritising skills in areas like data analytics, cybersecurity, mobile app development, and digital customer support. 'The study shows that key competencies now sought by banks include effective communication, digital literacy, and analytical thinking,' the ABJ said, adding that a clear mismatch exists between higher education outputs and the evolving needs of the financial sector. The report also found that banks tend to favour graduates from universities known for academic excellence and modern programmes in disciplines such as AI and cybersecurity. Although some cooperation exists between universities and banks, over one-third of institutions surveyed reported no formal training partnerships, a gap that hampers efforts to align curricula with market requirements. To bridge the divide, the ABJ recommended reforms in university curricula to embed future-focused skills, the introduction of minors in fintech and digital banking, and the implementation of mandatory internships. It also calls for the creation of banking simulation labs within universities and the development of stronger strategic partnerships between academia and the financial sector. These local findings mirror global trends. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that while 83 million jobs are expected to disappear worldwide, 69 million new roles will emerge, many of them in tech-driven fields, the statement said.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
How lazy Britons became a threat to the economy
Finding a job in Britain in the current market is not easy, but one sector still has plenty of work to go around: social care. 'There are 130,000 vacancies in the sector,' says Geoff Butcher, who runs several care homes in the Midlands. 'I honestly don't know how they are going to be filled.' Labour thinks it has found a solution: push businesses such as care home operators to train up the growing ranks of workless Britons. Announcing a crackdown on migration on Tuesday, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said the Government was ending 'what was effectively a free market experiment on immigration – encouraging employers to recruit from abroad, loosening controls in different areas but without any requirement to tackle skills and labour shortages here at home'. Employers will now only be able to recruit overseas workers in limited circumstances and will need to provide a plan to train up more British workers if they do so. The system is meant to encourage businesses to turn to home-grown workers to fill skills gaps over the longer-term, with foreign staff used as a stopgap. But observers like Butcher are sceptical. 'It's no good the Government saying, 'Well, we've got X million economically inactive people, and they've got to get back to work,'' he says. 'The health sector is not somewhere where you can have people who are forced to work and they really don't want to do it.' Most UK job applicants never turn up for interviews, he says. The few who do end up failing probation or quit in the first three months. 'The majority of them just find it too hard work,' Butcher says. Cooper and Sir Keir Starmer face an awkward truth: many British workers cannot or will not do jobs that foreigners desperate to earn money are happily queuing up to do. These include crucial roles such as helping elderly people, building houses or staffing hospitals. Figures released on Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show economic inactivity among UK-born people has risen since the pandemic, while it has fallen among those who were born overseas but now live here. Some 21.8pc of UK nationals are economically inactive, up from 20.4pc before the pandemic. By contrast, the figure for those from abroad has fallen from 20.7pc to 18.5pc over the same period. A closer look at the figures shows this has been driven by a plunge in the inactivity rate among those coming to the UK from outside of the EU. The rate has dropped from 29.2pc to 21.3pc, while the EU rate is largely unchanged at 14.7pc. The rise in economic activity among British workers since Covid has sparked alarm for both ministers and policymakers. While the classification of ineconomic activity can cover people studying and those who have retired early, the rise has been fuelled by a surge in the number of people claiming sickness benefits since Covid. There has been a wave of mostly younger people describing themselves as too depressed or anxious to work, while older workers blame back pain for keeping them out of work. Four million 16 to 64-year-olds across England and Wales now claim disability or incapacity benefits, up from 2.8m in 2019. Louise Murphy at the Resolution Foundation, a think tank, cautions that the ONS's data are notoriously unreliable. However, she says: 'When we think about economic inactivity, it's definitely not a problem around non-UK-born workers.' She adds: 'Given that we have made it easier for people to come linked to employment, you would expect that to show up in the labour market data. Some of it also just reflects demographics: we've got more younger non-UK-born people compared to older UK-born adults.' Benefits to blame Could more training for economically inactive Britons help shift the dial? Those at the coalface are sceptical. 'I think the benefit system is a large part of the problem,' says Butcher. 'Quite a few of them come from families where their parents have lived on benefits, either in whole or in part, for the vast majority of their lives. So it is to an extent a culture. It's a way of life, kind of bumping along the bottom, and being able to do that knowing that the state ultimately will step in and provide a safety net.' The wages on offer are simply not worth it for many of those already on benefits. Meanwhile, the sector struggles to pay more because funding from local authorities is not keeping up with costs, including the £25bn rise in employers' National Insurance contributions and recent inflation-busting minimum wage jumps. 'For what they're going to earn, they could lose their housing allowance,' says Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the National Care Association. 'They can lose other benefits, and it won't match up. Also people want to choose the hours that they work. We are a 24-hour service.' When a care job is advertised to British workers 'it's just tumbleweed', she says. 'Very rarely do we get responses. I had somebody say they had 48 responses from a job centre advert. Ten people actually responded to their response. Two people came for an interview and left the job within two weeks.' Risk to growth In theory, this should be the best time to restrict access to foreign labour given the slowdown in the job market. Vacancies are at their lowest level since the start of 2017 outside of Covid, at 761,000. Meanwhile, unemployment has edged up to 4.5pc, the highest since summer 2021 although still low by historical standards. On Reddit, UK job forums are full of posts from despairing young people struggling to find work. Desperate times could prompt many to rethink what they are willing to do. However, there are still sectors struggling to plug gaps because British workers won't fill them. They include farming, construction, transport and hospitality, 'where roles tend to be lower-paid and harder to fill', says Jonathan Steenberg, an economist at credit insurer Coface. 'Around one in 10 UK businesses still cite labour shortages as a concern, and further curbs on immigration risk making this worse,' he adds. Such shortages of willing workers threaten to undermine the Government's growth ambitions, he warns, pointing out that the construction industry Labour is depending on to build 1.5m new homes this parliament is already plagued by 'chronic shortages'. 'Although vacancies are now more than half a million below their pandemic peak, firms tell us recruitment remains a huge challenge,' says Jane Gratton, at the British Chambers of Commerce. 'They are still struggling to find people with the skills they need.' Whether it is low wages, a broken benefit system or something else that is to blame, bosses fear they will have a hard time getting by without foreign workers. While there are millions of Britons sitting on the sidelines of the jobs market, many seem unwilling to do the work the country needs.
