Wholesale is facing one of the biggest skill shortages across UK industries, with research showing there is a risk of less than one in ten roles being filled.
The Skills Shortages Report, compiled by ECI Software Solutions, looked at the number of jobs currently available in 20 industries in the UK, before comparing it with the number of people searching for the jobs – to reveal the level of demand nationally.
Currently, the wholesale industry has 54,920 open positions for roles such as wholesale operative, wholesale coordinator and stock controller. But with only 5,400 people searching for the particular vacancies.
Read more: 80% of online wholesale customers not adding products to basket, report shows
Talent pools may also be limited in certain areas across the UK, alongside specific industries, which could mean hiring managers are limited geographically, depending on if they require people to work in the office, on a hybrid model, or remotely.
Commenting on the research, Chris Fisher, LBMH operations director, EMEA at ECI Software Solutions, said: “Workplaces have significantly evolved and digitalised over recent years and with the introduction of technology into everyday processes, the skills required to undertake certain roles have drastically changed. This situation is creating both opportunities and challenges for business leaders looking to fill vacant positions, with many also having to evaluate how they are marketing themselves as an organisation.
“That being said, there are still plenty of opportunities to train and up-skill existing staff or potentially offer apprenticeships to entice new recruits. It’s clear that some industries may be falling behind in terms of appealing to the right candidates and making a career in the field look appealing. Combatting this starts at a grassroots level – encouraging students to explore the opportunities in these sectors, but also highlighting how most skills are transferable.”
For more information about this research, visit: https://www.ecisolutions.com/en-gb/blog/the-skills-shortages-report-which-industries-are-struggling-to-bridge-the-gap/
Methodology
- ECI Software Solutions used data from LinkedIn to discover the number of vacancies for five different roles across the top 20 industries in the UK.
- ECI Software Solutions then compared this with data from Google Keyword Planner to discover how many people in each city were searching for sector-specific jobs on average within the last year.
- Data is correct as of March 2023.
