UK: Employees lack of basic skills, CBI finds

(Financial Times, David Turner, April 6 2009) As many as four in 10 employers encounter difficulties with literacy and numeracy among their workers, a survey from the CBI employers' organisation has found.

Businesses are finding it tough, too, to recruit the right employees at the top end of the labour market. Two-thirds are struggling to hire employees who are highly skilled in science and maths, particularly among graduates and postgraduates. Richard Lambert, CBI director-general, said: "Our survey provides further evidence of the serious mismatch in demand and supply. Urgent action must be taken, at school, university and beyond to remedy this - with businesses themselves playing a crucial role." The CBI has called on employers to continue training workers, in spite of the straitened economic conditions.

Andrew Fitzmaurice, chief executive of Nord Anglia, the UK education and training company that co-published Monday's report, said: "This survey shows that the wake-up call we had from the Leitch review is as relevant as ever. Basic skills such as reading, writing and doing simple maths remain a real concern to employers." The government-commissioned review declared in 2006 that Britain had to improve the skills of its workforce in order to catch up with competing nations.

In the survey, which was conducted in November and December before a sharp increase in unemployment and drop in output, 40 per cent of employers report "problems" with employee literacy and numeracy.

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