According to a new report published by Cambridge News, cities around the UK are facing a talent shortage, with Cambridge in particular suffering from a significant lack if scientists, nurses and healthcare workers.
In fact, the research, carried out by job site Adzuna, found that one fifth of science jobs and one in 10 healthcare and nursing vacancies are currently going unfilled, and Cambridge News suggests this could pave the way for foreign workers to be invited to the UK on Tier 2 work permits.
According to the results of Adzuna’s research, issues with filling the demand for workers has had a particularly large impact in the south, with Cambridge, London and Brighton all suffering to find staff.
However, this issue has also spread north, with Middlesbrough and Sunderland finding graduate and part-time roles particularly hard to fill.
According to the co-founder of Adzuna, Doug Monro, many vacancies are currently remaining unfilled for more than three months, making the situation desperate for some employers.
“Some areas of the jobs market have clearly fallen victim to a talent shortage, which has only been worsened by Brexit uncertainty,” Monro said. “The situation seriously dampens prospects for our STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) hubs like Cambridge.”
Mr Munro is now urging businesses to focus on boosting skills among British workers to reduce shortages, rather than seeking workers with the skills already in place. Additionally, employing foreign workers under Tier 2 work permits could also release some of the pressure on the industries struggling to hire any talent at all.