A third of manufacturers intend to create permanent full time jobs this year but there is doubt as to whether the private sector can compensate for public sector job cuts.
The Barclays Corporate Job Creation Survey 2011, based on a survey of 500 senior business executives, found that 61% of manufacturers believe there will be a shortfall between private sector job growth and public losses, with 26% expecting a major shortfall.
Almost half said ex-public sector workers are ‘not very well equipped’ to take on manufacturing roles.
Graeme Allinson, Head of Manufacturing, Barclays Corporate, said: “The survey highlights that in some areas of UK manufacturing there is a real aversion to hiring public sector workers, but with the current growth in the sector we see a huge opportunity for manufacturers to bring new people into the industry that may not have considered a career in the manufacturing before. With the right training this could also begin to address the skill shortages still apparent in some manufacturing subsectors.”
While 42% of manufacturing executives state they will create jobs, only 35% are looking to ‘create full time jobs’. The majority of the jobs to be created over the next 12 months are at ‘middle’ and low/unskilled’ levels.
