Member Article

Are businesses making the most of their workforce talent?

According to the government’s skills watchdog, a sharp rise in skills shortages in the UK may slow the progress of recent economic recovery. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills has highlighted that whilst job vacancies in England are back to pre-recession levels, remaining shortages are largely due to businesses increasingly struggling to source recruits with the correct experience and qualifications. The study highlighted that amongst other skills, “There has been an increase in the proportion of skill-shortage vacancies resulting from a lack of communication skills, particularly oral communication (41%, up from 37% in 2011)”.

The report underlines the fear that businesses might not be able to make the most of the upturn if they don’t have the people with the right skills, however it also found a third of employers don’t provide any training to staff, a number that has barely changed for the past ten years. In fact, spending on training has fallen by over 2 billion in since 2011.

Suffering the most from skills shortages, according to the watchdog, is the manufacturing industry. A recent government report “The future of manufacturing: A new era of opportunity and challenge for the UK” emphasises that the quality and skills of the workforce will be crucial for securing an advantage over international competition. So essential in this industry in fact, that according to the report a shortage in skilled workers is resulting in some employers sourcing those with expert talent and strategically important skills from outside of the UK.

However, could international companies from manufacturing, retail, healthcare and finance have the skilled people already within the business? The World Trade Organisation estimates that 70 percent of the Global 1000 workforce is made up of non-native English speakers. Could it be that through an under prioritisation of language training, these skilled workers are less able to communicate efficiently in the workplace and therefore unable to demonstrate their skills and value to the organisation?

77% of over 300 global business decision makers recently surveyed by Rosetta Stone Enterprise and Education said investing in training staff in English increases business profitability by 25% through benefits such as increased productivity, quality of work and customer satisfaction. In fact, 88% of respondents said English language training contributes to increased overall success for organisations.

When it comes to organisations with a geographically or linguistically diverse workforce, English skills are by no means widely advanced. Organisations are now looking to new recruits to fill the skills gap, but mustn’t forget to also search closer to home. Offering employees the necessary support and training to learn or develop their English language skills will allow organisations to ensure they are maximising the skills already present within their business. Doing so helps build competitive advantage, increases retention of talented individuals and ensures skilled employees are reaching their full business potential.

Skills know no borders, but languages often can. For linguistically diverse workforces, being able to communicate through one common tongue can boost the success of an organisation and make sure individuals operate at their maximum value. Overcoming the language barrier might just be what’s needed to bridge this crucial skills gap.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Donavan Whyte .