Lack of skills, work ethic and too many demands deter firms from employing candidates

Many UK employers are continuing to struggle to fill vacancies, with new research revealing a sharp disconnect between candidate expectations and employer requirements. A recent poll by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) claims to shed light on why so many applications are being rejected despite a strong demand for workers across key industries. According to the CMI, a significant number of organisations are turning away applicants who they believe lack the necessary ‘attitude’ or ‘work ethic’. The poll, which surveyed over 1,000 managers, found that around four in five employers had rejected candidates on the basis of soft skills, rather than qualifications or experience. This emphasis on attitude over aptitude reflects a broader trend in recruitment, where cultural fit and interpersonal qualities are increasingly valued – and, often, missing from the applicant pool.

Yet this growing reliance on subjective criteria may be contributing to a worsening skills gap in sectors such as hospitality, retail, logistics, and care. While roles remain unfilled, many candidates are being screened out for not matching rigid and sometimes outdated expectations.

The report also suggests that firms were rethinking the pandemic-era policies that had encouraged employees to work from home. The survey of found 22 percent of respondents judging employees to be lacking ‘English skills’ and 20 per cent ‘basic maths skills’.

CMI policy director Petra Wilton said: ‘The pandemic taught us invaluable lessons about the workplace – that flexibility boosts productivity, that trust in employees drives success, and that great managers are the backbone of any thriving organisation. Rolling back these gains risks eroding the trust and goodwill that have been built over the last few years.’

The CMI also highlighted the generational aspect of this mismatch. Many managers expressed concern that younger candidates lacked professionalism or communication skills – issues which may be less about generational shortcomings and more about gaps in education and mentoring following the disruption of the pandemic years. The institute is urging employers to reconsider their approach and focus more on training, particularly for younger jobseekers, to avoid excluding a potentially valuable segment of the workforce.