As businesses across the country face rising costs, new research from the CIPD and Omni warns that using pay to attract talent simply isn’t enough to tackle on-going skills shortages. While an increasing number of organisations (54 percent) are inflating pay to retain talent, this approach is not sustainable for most employers in the face of rising costs. To tackle the skills shortage, organisations need to highlight other components of good working practices when recruiting, such as offering flexible working and promoting career development opportunities. For instance, the latest Resourcing and Talent Planning survey shows that 68 percent of employers that offer hybrid/ remote working say it has allowed their organisation to attract and retain more talent.  (more…)

Nearly three quarters of young people aged 15 to 24 in 92 countries with available data are off-track to acquire the skills needed for employment, according to a new report published today by the Education Commission and UNICEF to coincide with World Youth Skills Day. Recovering learning: Are children and youth on track in skills development? features analyses on development in early childhood, and among children of primary school age and youth. The data highlight low levels of skill among children and young people across all age groups, with young people in low-income countries the least likely to have those required to thrive, particularly in future employment opportunities, decent work, and entrepreneurship. (more…)