New research from Chinwag confirms what many working in the new media sector already know. There is a severe shortage of suitable digital people despite increasing numbers of posts that demand them.
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<p><strong>New research from Chinwag confirms what many working in the new media sector already know. There is a severe shortage of suitable digital people despite increasing numbers of posts that demand them.</strong></p> <p>Key findings from the report include:</p> <dt>• <strong>It’s hard to attract staff</strong>: 97% of respondents find it either difficult or impossible to attract the right digital staff for their businesses </dt> <dt><br /></dt> <dt>• <strong>It’s difficult to retain staff</strong>: 76% of respondents find it difficult to retain staff within their companies. </dt> <dt><br /></dt> <dt>• <strong>Digital staff numbers are growing</strong>: Most businesses have increased the number of staff working in digital during the last year, with more permanent staff joining than leaving. </dt> <dt><br /></dt> <dt>• <strong>Use of freelancers is growing</strong>: Businesses have found themselves using the services of freelance staff more this year on previous years. </dt> <dt><br /></dt> <dt>• <strong>The digital skills shortage is stopping businesses grow</strong>: 57% of respondents reported that the digital skills shortage impeded the growth of their business in 2007.</dt> <dt><br /></dt> <dt>• <strong>Salary is a major issue in attracting and retaining digital staff</strong>: Companies having most difficulty attracting staff are also the least likely to raise wage levels next year.</dt> <dt><br /></dt> <dt>• <strong>Most companies giving pay rises in 2008</strong>: 75% of businesses are planning to increase the salaries of digital staff. </dt><p><img src="/pictures/0000/0014/skillsgap.png" border="0" alt="skillsgap" vspace="10" /> </p> <p>Chinwag MD Sam Michel comments: “These results show the pain of recruiting in 2007 gets worse in 2008. It’s now actively affecting the growth prospects of a sector that is booming despite concerns about the wider economy. Employers must work harder to attract and retain quality staff, without resorting to the temptation of unsustainable wage levels.” </p> <p>He continues: “The digital sector desperately needs to improve career development opportunities and widen its net, with industry-wide initiatives to support internships and training programmes, and to encourage people with traditional skills to make the jump to digital.” </p> <p>The <a href="http://www.chinwag.com/reports/chinwag-jobs-skills-shortage-2007">full report</a> is available from the Chinwag site and will be discussed at the company’s forthcoming ‘<a href="http://live.chinwag.com/skillsemergency">Skills Emergency</a>‘ event on January 29.</p>
2008-01-23T13:03:00+00:00
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2008/1/23/mind-the-skills-gap
skills education vacancy people hr economy
Mind the Skills Gap
2008-04-29T14:45:42+01:00
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