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Skills shortage could hit New Year jobs boom for Leeds

By Kelly Woodward

LEEDS IS expecting a jobs boom in the New Year… but employers are having to look out of the region to fill their vacancies because of a skills shortage.

A new ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey shows that there is going to be an increase in opportunities in engineering, manufacturing, chemicals and automotive maintenance in Leeds at the start of 2017.

The region’s Net Employment Outlook is up nine points to 8% but one of the reasons for this is because of the skill shortages which mean employers are struggling to fill roles.

Charlie Booth, a representative from the ManpowerGroup said: “Employers from these fields are looking for candidates who are able to commute to Leeds.

“There is an issue of the shortage of skills that the employers are looking for and they are starting to consider widening their search outside of Leeds.”

Engineering and manufacturing courses are available for 16-year-olds and over in Leeds but employers are worried about why graduates do not have the relevant skills when searching for jobs.

Charlie said: “Companies are increasingly looking to bring in people that are trainable but do not yet have the relevant skillset.

“This is slightly longer term for the employers but is an option to keep the jobs available for the people of Leeds.”

Overall the results of this survey are positive for Yorkshire and Humberside as it is reported that the region has the biggest increase in the country.

Amanda White, Operations Manager at Manpower, said: “After a difficult end to 2016 the region’s job seekers can be optimistic about the new year.

“The picture is less rosy for employers.

“They are facing a real shortage of suitable candidates and those that are qualified are often older and nearing retirement.”

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey is based on responses from 2,104 UK employers.

It asks whether employers intend to hire additional workers or reduce the size of their workforce in the coming quarter.

What do you think?