That’s according to a survey of 2,000 manufacturing and engineering workers from a range of sectors by recruitment firm Michael Page Manufacturing & Engineering.
One in three workers said their skill set was being diluted because they are not focusing on their core role. Almost half of these (43%) said they were prepared to look for a new job if they felt their employer wasn’t doing enough to develop their specialist skill set.
Wasn’t doing enough
In fact, 45% already claimed their employer wasn’t doing enough to develop their skills.
Scroll down to the bottom of this article to watch a video on the key stats in the survey and ways to tackle the issues.
Colin Monk, md of Michael Page Engineering & Manufacturing, said: “This sector requires high levels of technical skill and specialist knowledge. Whether you’re the person designing the product, putting it together or hiring the person that does, it takes a specific skill set and it’s important that businesses protect and nurture these skills. If they don’t, employees will inevitably feel overwhelmed and frustrated and could vote with their feet.”
A quarter (24%) of manufacturing professionals surveyed felt an increasingly general remit was having a negative impact on their productivity and a third (31%) were worried their company was not hiring enough specialists. Overall, 38% of all workers surveyed said a lack of specialist skills in their company was placing unnecessary pressure on them to meet consumer demands.
Monk said that food manufacturers needed to invest in new or existing talent or the skills gap the sector currently faces could get worse.
‘Evolve not lag behind’
“The food sector continues to face a serious skills shortage, particularly in the areas of continuous improvement and process flow,” Monk added. “In order to evolve and not lag behind, the sector must adopt a more flexible mind-set with its recruitment approach.”
Bringing specialist skills in from other sectors could bring a more rounded approach to the food sector and help it to adapt for future challenges, Monk claimed.
“Failure to do so will inevitably result in further skills shortages, slower processes and reduced efficiencies, ultimately costing organisations more money in the long run,” he warned.
Last month, speaking at Food Manufacture’s Business Leaders’ Forum, The National Skills Academy’s head of skills solutions Liz Pattison said the struggle to attract young people into the sector looked set to continue.
Meanwhile, to view the latest jobs in UK food and drink manufacturing, visit FoodManJobs.