43% Of SMEs ‘Experience Challenges’ In Recruiting The Right Staff

Some 43 per cent of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have struggled in finding the right staff members for their business, with many being hit by a lack of skilled people in their industry to actually hire.

This is according to new research from Aldermore, a specialist lender and savings bank, revealing that SMEs in the south-east and London fare particularly badly in this regard, with 55 per cent saying they have experienced a skills gap.

It’s possible that leaving the EU could make the situation worse for many businesses, with 22 per cent of those asked saying they believe Brexit will negatively impact their operations as attracting and recruiting workers from the EU could become more difficult.

“The SMEs most affected by the skills gap are located in Yorkshire, London and Wales and are interestingly the larger SMEs, employing between 100-249 people. SMEs operating in the construction sector have experienced particular difficulties recruiting the staff they need, and it is a similar story in the agriculture sector,” group managing director of business finance Carl D’Ammassa said.

This comes as Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta and an influential EU leader, warns the UK that European courts will carry on handing out judgements to the UK if it decides on a transitional deal post-Brexit. He clarified that any transition trade arrangements could continue well into the 2020s – which may well have a big impact on SMEs trying to recruit talent from overseas.

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