Business
UK Businesses Fail to Unlock the Full Potential of their Employees, Survey Finds
UK executives most likely to say they are failing to unlock workforce potential UK businesses least confident in their ability to recruit specialised
About this update from Kelly Services, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"UK executives most likely to say they are failing to unlock workforce potential UK businesses least confident in their ability to recruit specialised talentLack of skills development and career opportunities top frustrations for UK workers LONDON, June 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Businesses in the United Kingdom are most likely to say they are failing to unlock the full potential of their employees and poor workforce planning is holding back growth for most organisations, a survey conducted in 13 countries by specialty talent solutions provider Kelly has found. The 2024 Kelly Global Re:work Report reveals businesses in the UK particularly struggle with recruiting specialised talent and developing their existing workforce. The fourth annual global workforce report from Kelly, titled Building a Resilient Workforce in the Age of AI, shows more than half of senior executives in the UK are not unlocking the full potential of their workforce (51%) and that poor workforce planning is impeding business growth (52%). Four in 10 executives (43%) say they are missing business opportunities due to a lack of talent. Just 29% of UK executives express confidence in recruiting talent with technical or highly sought-after skills, the lowest rating among the 13 countries surveyed. By comparison, 67% of executives in Germany say they are confident in recruiting specialised talent. The survey indicates UK businesses don’t offer adequate training programs to tackle these challenges. UK workers identify a lack of skills development (29%) and a lack of career progression opportunities (25%) as their top frustrations. They are among the least likely to say their teams have the skills and capabilities required to achieve their objectives. Among executives surveyed globally, those from the UK are most likely to cite insufficient development opportunities as reason for employee turnover (32%). “These findings are eye opening,” Adelle Harrington, Vice President, EMEA, at KellyOCG, said. “They stress the importance of developing long-term workforce strategies that focus on the right mix of permanent and contingent workers, effective skills development, and employee engagement.” Despite these challenges, the survey identifies bright spots. Executives in the UK are most likely to say that improving employee wellbeing is a top priority (35%) and most (55%) sa...