Home counties plagued by acute skills shortages

The home counties are suffering some of the most acute skills shortages in the UK, leaving employers in the region clutching at straws to expand their workforce.

Almost half of firms in the Thames Valley, which emcompasses Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, are struggling to source trained workers from the local talent pool, research by accountancy firm BDO has found.

Businesses in London and the South East have the least trouble finding skilled workers, reflecting the deep talent pools in these areas. 

23 per cent and 24 per cent of businesses in London and the South East respectively are struggling to find skilled workers.

Graduates and highly skilled workers have historically migrated to London and the South East to find work, giving employers a wide range of candidates to choose from. 

However, flows of graduates to the two areas has generated a so-called brain drain from other regions of the UK, contributing to widening economic inequalities. 

The government’s levelling up agenda is designed to tackle these regional economic inequities, with 94 per cent of businesses across the UK believing it will achieve its aims in the next decade, BDO said.

Ed Dwan, partner at BDO, said: “Skills and staff shortages are being reported across the board and remain a large barrier to the growth of many businesses, particularly of those in some in the regions outside of London and the South East.”