Retention and training top poll of main concerns for senior managers

More than one in three senior executives  believe employee retention and training are the two main talent management concerns facing their industry until 2020, according to a new survey.

The survey of 700 senior decision-makers by recruitment specialist Robert Half UK found talent retention is a particular concern for large businesses (35%), compared to one in three (29%) small and medium-sized businesses.

The main concern for Chief Information Officers is the need to upskill existing employees, with two in five (41%) concerned about finding the right skills training and development for their staff, compared to 31% across all sectors. Skills such as strategic planning, problem-solving and interpersonal and communication skills – those that complement the emergence of AI technology – are cited as crucial for success in the technology sector.

Within ‘traditional’ industries, such as finance and accounting and financial services, the most common talent management concern is the need to improve workplace productivity (33% and 37% respectively).

This concern is reinforced by department heads within individual businesses who are examining how they can hire the best candidates for their department. Almost one in three (29%) senior decision-makers say that talent attraction is a concern for the next year.

Matt Weston, Managing Director, Robert Half UK, said: “Skilled professionals today are often deciding between multiple competing job offers. This is creating a talent dilemma where businesses can get into a salary bidding war to attract these professionals, but this won’t always be enough to retain them. Businesses that align their job role, company mission and organisational culture with their desired candidate are more likely stand out in the hiring process – the key here is to offer a purpose-driven career choice.”

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