Sales and marketing professionals, factory managers and production staff are the main skill gaps for the food and drink sector. That’s according to a survey undertaken by Goldteam, the specialist recruiter in the FMCG, hospitality and healthcare sectors.
Almost two thirds ( 60%) of organisations reported shortfalls within the sales and marketing function, while factory management and production came a close second. This is backed up by the food and drink sector skills council, Improve, which says that the industry will need to recruit 118,000 workers by 2014 to meet projected demand.
Despite the volume of skills needed, less than a third of respondents were intending to actively recruit permanent members of staff and only a quarter expected their temporary workforce to grow. When asked what measures were in place to address skill shortages, a third of respondents said that they would look at reward and retention strategies and a large majority (86%) said that they would look at upskilling their existing workforce. However, with the volume levels identified by Improve, it is clear that this will not necessarily solve the existing skill set problems.
“While many organisations are using agency workers to fill skill gaps, particularly in the food production arena – employers are wary about the legal risks surrounding Gangmaster Licensing”, says Managing Director of Goldteam, Naveed Ahmed. “Obviously with the level of shortages cited by Improve, recruitment suppliers will have an important part to play and I believe that one of the key responsibilities of a recruiter is to mitigate any risks to the hiring organisation. For the food and drink industry, where your corporate reputation can mean the difference between securing a contract – or being completely frozen out, it is vital that employers look carefully at its recruitment suppliers and chooses those who are setting the benchmark of ethical and legal practices.”
Goldteam has published the full results of its survey together with a checklist of what employers should be looking for in recruitment suppliers to ensure that any legal risks are mitigated. The Goldteam Report – Effective Hiring Practices for a new decade, can be obtained by e-mailing Karen@goldteam.co.uk
