Sheakley Updates

Closing the Skills Gap

Ella Baker
Skills Gap
Reading time 4 Mins
Published on Oct 8
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Have you experienced a more difficult time filling some of your open positions? You’re not alone. Despite offering quality benefits and compensation packages, many companies have difficulty finding qualified candidates due to the skills gap that has developed in the 21st century workforce. This gap between the skills sought by employers and the knowledge and training of the candidates exists across the spectrum of workers, from recent high school and college graduates to those already in the workforce. This misalignment of skills makes it more difficult for you to find qualified candidates and can stifle the growth of your company. Read on to learn more about the skills gap and how companies can help cultivate the workers you need.

Lack of skills and workers

While much of the skills gap is attributed to a shortage of people skilled in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) industries, many potential employees also lack the soft skills, such as communication and leadership skills, that are required to succeed in business. Compounding the issue is a lack of qualified workers altogether. As of July 2018, 6.6 million unemployed Americans were actively seeking work, while there were 6.7 million job openings. Even if no skills gap existed, 100,000 jobs would still be left open due to a lack of qualified workers.

Contributing factors

The skills gap can be seen across the job market, from leadership positions to entry level jobs, and across industries. Some job candidates lack required industry experience, while others don’t have the necessary training or skills needed to fill open positions.

It’s only natural for you to seek employees with experience in your industry. The massive retirement of baby boomers, however, is making finding workers with that experience tougher than ever. The generations that have followed baby boomers simply aren’t large enough offset this retirement and many lack the on-the-job experience and communications skills necessary to replace their predecessors.

The use of emerging technology in the workplace compounds the lack of experience issue. With the world of work changing so rapidly due to the introduction of new technology, it has become more difficult to find employees with experience in these areas.

The speed with which the modern workplace is changing also makes it difficult for educational institutions to keep pace with the needs of employers. The inability of the educational system to stay abreast of the needs of employers and to relay the necessary skills to future workers poses a great hazard to businesses and the economy.

Innovations in training

Employer-sponsors workforce training, apprenticeships, and other work and learn programs, coupled with comprehensive mentoring programs, can help workers obtain the skills that employers need. These employee learning and development programs not only help your employees gain the skills they need, but foster loyalty and can help with your future retention efforts.

Partnerships with educational institutions

Long-term planning can help shut down the skills gap all together. More and more businesses have begun expanding their partnerships with career technical education centers, community colleges, and universities to create programs that help students obtain the skills that 21st century employers are seeking. Partnering with educational institutions allows businesses to help close the gap so that future generations of workers don’t experience the same lack of employability due to a skills gap.

Closing the skills gap with Sheakley

Identifying all of the skills, experience, and training needed to fill your open positions isn’t always easy. Deciding what partnerships your company should enter into to help train your next generation of employees can be even more difficult, but you don’t have to do it alone. With more than 50,000 clients and more than 50 years’ experience, Sheakley’s HR experts can help you develop a campaign that helps you bridge the skills gap and find the best employees for your company. Schedule your free consultation with a Sheakley HR Outsourcing or PEO professional today.

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