By Ian McConnell
NEARLY half of Scottish business leaders have highlighted skills shortages in their workforces, in a survey published today.
The report from the Institute of Directors in Scotland also shows 79% of respondents believe the primary role of the Scottish Government is to ensure the “efficient delivery of public services, ensuring [a] skilled workforce and effective regulation of the market”.
Around 44% of directors in Scotland do not believe they have the right number of skilled people for the current jobs in their organisations, according to IoD Scotland’s “state of the nation” survey.
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And 35% of respondents do not feel confident they can recruit people with the right skills this year. IoD Scotland believes this finding has “reinforced a clear need for rapid professional development and training”.
Most directors surveyed agreed they are reasonably taxed. Around 65% believe that their business taxes are fair. Meanwhile, 58% of respondents consider their personal tax rate is fair. And 53% of those asked think local taxation is fair.
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Louise Macdonald, national director of IoD Scotland, said: “The past two years have been a turbulent time for directors in every type of business and organisation. These findings provide valuable insight into an important time when organisations and their directors are seeking to recover from the pandemic’s grasp.”
She added: “While leaders take an optimistic view of the future, we need to take their concern about the challenges around a skills gap seriously. We must particularly consider support for those directors who don’t believe they will be able to recruit the right skills in 2022, and all these findings will inform our ongoing work as we support directors in communities across Scotland.”
Around 83% of directors say investment in professional development remains very important for them personally. And 78% say it remains very important for their employees.
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