Employers around the world are still finding it hard to fill vacancies, and the United Kingdom is no different, with Bloomberg reporting that almost a fifth of U.K. employees expect to move jobs within the next 12 months — primarily seeking higher pay, greater flexibility, and better job satisfaction.
This appetite for remote and flexible working is reshaping the jobs market, making it harder for employers to attract and keep top performers unless they adapt to these new working patterns.
We want to help UK employers better understand the disruptions affecting the labour market, so we surveyed more than 500 British employers to identify which sectors and locations are worst affected by the Great Resignation, the toughest skills shortages to address, and the methods employers are using to navigate recruitment obstacles.
82% of employers have felt the impact of the Great Resignation over the last year
We mapped which UK cities reported the largest share of firms affected by the Great Resignation; Sheffield, in Yorkshire, tops the list, with 92% of surveyed employers there saying the trend has affected their organisation.
Plymouth and London follow closely, recording 89% and 87% respectively.
Although these three cities show the highest shares of affected employers, the consequences are felt widely across the country — from Edinburgh in Scotland down to Plymouth in the southwest of England.
The table below lists the top 10 UK cities with the greatest proportion of employers affected by the Great Resignation.
Cities with the highest proportion of companies affected by the Great Resignation
Rank | City | % that said the Great Resignation has affected their company* |
|---|---|---|
1 | Sheffield | 92% |
2 | Plymouth | 89% |
3 | London | 87% |
4 | Birmingham | 87% |
5 | Brighton | 87% |
6 | Southampton | 86% |
7 | Glasgow | 85% |
8 | Newcastle | 84% |
9 | Bristol | 80% |
10 | Edinburgh | 80% |
*Figures rounded to the nearest %.
92% of employers have had difficulty filling roles in the past year
Partly due to the Great Resignation, recruiting to plug internal skills gaps has become increasingly difficult. With demand so strong, candidates are in a powerful position and can be choosier about which roles they accept.
Our study showed that 92% of UK employers struggled to fill positions in the past year and, on average, used nine recruiters to attempt to close skills shortages within their organisations.
The functional areas UK employers find hardest to recruit for are software engineering, HR and data analytics.
Firms struggling to attract people with these specialist skills should rethink how to enhance value through employee benefit schemes and adapt existing packages to better suit the candidates they are targeting.
The table below ranks the business areas or skills employers have found hardest to fill over the past year, from highest to lowest percentage.
Top 12 skills UK companies are struggling to recruit for
Rank | Business area/skill | % of employers that have struggled to fill roles in these areas in the past year* |
|---|---|---|
1 | Software engineering | 27% |
2 | HR | 26% |
3 | Data analytics | 24% |
4 | Customer experience | 23% |
5 | Business operations | 23% |
6 | Executive leadership | 23% |
7 | Marketing | 20% |
8 | Sales | 19% |
9 | Product management | 18% |
10 | Finance | 17% |
11 | Design | 17% |
12 | Legal | 12% |
*Figures rounded to the nearest %.
The survey also examined which roles within particular industries are hardest to recruit for. Nearly every UK employer we polled in logistics (96%) said they struggled to fill a role in the past year; fintech firms reported difficulty filling HR positions (42%), and healthcare employers most commonly struggled to recruit for customer experience roles (25%).
Industry | % that have struggled to fill any job role (past year) | Business area | % that have struggled to hire for business area |
|---|---|---|---|
Fintech | 92% | HR | 42% |
Healthcare | 90% | Customer experience | 25% |
Logistics | 96% | Data analytics | 50% |
Marketing & Advertising | 91% | Marketing | 45% |
Technology | 94% | Software engineering | 58% |
*Figures rounded to the nearest %.
Half of employers provide new training to current staff to address recruitment issues
Attracting and retaining skilled people is a core objective for any growth-focused company. Historically, employers recruited within countries where they already had a local legal entity. Today, a global employment partner such as Remote simplifies and speeds up international hiring with employer of record services.
UK employers are adopting practical solutions to ease recruitment pressures. Half of those we surveyed (50%) are offering training to current staff, and over a third have introduced referral schemes.
Only one-third of the employers we questioned are recruiting beyond their city limits. That suggests more than 60% are missing the chance to broaden their hiring reach and tap into a far larger international talent pool.
The table below ranks the methods employers are using to address recruitment obstacles, from most to least common.
Ways employers have tried to overcome recruitment struggles | % that said the Great Resignation has impacted their company |
|---|---|
Offering training to existing employees | 50% |
Offering a referral scheme to current employees | 35% |
Recruiting outside the city where you are based | 33% |
Offering an apprenticeship programme | 33% |
Hiring external recruitment resource | 33% |
Recruiting internationally | 33% |
Proactively sourcing more diverse candidates | 33% |
Outsourcing work to freelancers and contractors | 29% |
Offering bursaries and scholarships in under-skilled areas | 26% |
*Figures rounded to the nearest %.
Hiring from overseas can resolve recruitment challenges
Hiring internationally to address recruitment challenges is a tactic used by 33% of the employers we polled.
33% of employers recruit internationally to tackle recruitment issues.
The growing acceptance of remote work and the supporting technologies mean employers can now source skilled candidates from across the globe. British firms no longer need to limit themselves to professionals based in the UK.
Large numbers of skilled professionals are prepared to work remotely in time zones close to the UK, across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Asynchronous work practices can make it viable for UK employers to widen recruitment to Asia, the Americas and the Pacific — a strategic advantage for organisations seeking 24-hour sales or customer support.
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However, not every employer is turning to international recruitment to ease the Great Resignation’s effects. Eight percent said this is because they do not sponsor work permits, and a further 8% want staff to be able to come into the office when required.
Bear in mind, UK employers can still hire internationally and enable employees to work overseas lawfully with the assistance of an employer of record like Remote.
If your operations permit remote work, you may not need to offer relocation or arrange visas to access overseas talent. Provided your international candidates have the legal right to work in their home country, Remote allows you to hire and pay these colleagues in line with local employment law through our wholly owned local entities.
When recruiting, does your company consider international candidates? | % |
|---|---|
Yes — because we have a remote working policy | 40% |
Yes — because we work with international clients | 36% |
Yes — but they are paid a salary commensurate with where they live | 22% |
Yes — but only if they have the right to work where we are based | 20% |
No — because we don't sponsor work permits | 8% |
No — because we want to ensure employees can attend the office when required | 8% |
No — but it is under consideration | 6% |
No — because we do not have a remote working policy | 5% |
*Figures rounded to the nearest %.
Nearly half of employers (46%) are now willing to negotiate salaries because of recruitment pressures
To stay competitive and close skills gaps, nearly half of the UK employers we surveyed said they have become more open to salary negotiations since the Great Resignation began.
Employers are also more prepared to negotiate on other elements, including health benefits and annual leave.
This increased readiness to offer a fuller total rewards compensation package could also help retain existing staff and reduce further turnover.
The table below shows the areas where employers have become more willing to negotiate with staff and candidates since the Great Resignation.
Area of negotiation | % that said they have been more open to negotiating in the last year |
|---|---|
Flexible working policy | 49% |
Salary | 46% |
Remote working policy | 46% |
Annual leave | 43% |
Training benefits | 43% |
Health benefits | 42% |
Home office allowance | 40% |
*Figures rounded to the nearest %.
It is unsurprising that remote working policy is a major area businesses are prepared to change, given the widespread adoption of this working style since the COVID-19 pandemic. For many sectors, flexible working hours are already part of standard policy.
How can employers attract skilled candidates to close skills gaps?
Sourcing experienced hires and retaining current staff is difficult at the best of times, and becomes harder as the market grows more competitive.
Where should employers begin when aiming to attract the talent they need?
Be explicit in job adverts
Clarity is essential for all parties in the hiring process, especially prospective applicants. Ambiguous or hard-to-access listings can confuse and deter candidates.
Set out the role’s responsibilities plainly, including required experience, specific skillsets and the reporting lines. Rather than labelling pay as ‘competitive’, we recommend stating a salary range.
Our research found 41% of employers do not always include salary details in job descriptions and nearly 50% omit progression prospects for each role.
Employers can also make adverts more competitive by listing key perks and benefits. Even values-based benefits such as flexible hours, remote working options and mental health support can help your vacancy stand out.
Employers lack transparency in job adverts
41% of employers do not always include salary information in job descriptions for every role
47% of employers do not mention progression opportunities for each role
Inaccessible language can cause confusion and deter candidates from applying
Review existing benefits packages
One of the key considerations candidates weigh when applying is the benefits package and the tangible value it adds. If you recruit internationally, benefits should be tailored to the employee’s country of residence.
We advise employers to design bespoke benefits suited to their workforce, accounting for regional differences, demographics and other local factors.
Alongside benefits, employers should routinely review salaries to ensure pay remains fair and competitive. Our survey showed 17% of UK employers do no salary benchmarking at all; among the 80% that do, reviews occur on average every five months.
Download your Global benefits guide and attract top global talent
Remote's global HR specialists provide actionable guidance for creating a locally relevant and globally compliant benefits programme to help you attract and retain the world’s best talent.
Download your 2028global benefits guide to help you attract leading international talent
Download your 2028global benefits guide to help you attract leading international talent
Remote's global HR experts provide practical guidance on creating a benefits programme that is locally relevant and compliant worldwide, helping you recruit and retain the world's best talent.
Reassess return-to-office policies
Employers that still insist on regular office attendance may wish to rethink that approach. Remote working is now well established for many, and those who value its flexibility are unlikely to forgo it when other employers offer indefinite remote working without caveats.
Adopt inclusive recruitment practices
Implementing inclusive hiring practices is not only the right ethical choice but also prevents employers from excluding talent from diverse backgrounds.
As a first step, train your recruitment team on how both explicit and implicit biases can influence hiring, and review active job adverts to ensure inclusive language is used.
Our findings indicate that to close skills gaps, employers should take an employee-centred approach to recruitment for 2022 and beyond, adapting strategies to show the value they add to current and prospective staff. This may include offering tailored training to upskill existing employees, recruiting internationally to widen the talent pool, or providing flexible working arrangements to accommodate diverse lifestyles, such as those with childcare responsibilities.
To simplify filling vacancies, we have gathered expert guidance from Remote’s employment specialists covering every stage of remote hiring — from assessing remote readiness to making offers and scaling international teams. Our guide to hiring remote employees contains practical tactics to help employers fill skills gaps using internationally sourced talent.