Four in five Irish organisations have experienced skills shortages in the past two years. As a result, business are increasing offering development opportunities and upskilling.
That’s according to new research from CIPD Ireland, the professional body for HR and people development. Their report found that more than half (57 percent) of Irish businesses would offer staff more development opportunities. In addition, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of organisations would offer upskilling opportunities to employees. As a result, Irish companies hope to retain staff as well as grow their talent pipeline.
The report found that attracting and retaining talent is the top priority for Irish business over the next two years. In order to retain valuable staff, a third of employers made a counter-offer when an employee stated their intention to resign.
Developing organisations and people
The research also shows a gap between the aspiration of how people wish to be treated at work and what managers do in practice. Two-thirds of HR professionals and managers believe that staff should have a say in what happens at work. However, only one in four consistently applied this ideal.
Director of CIPD Ireland, Mary Connaughton said, “All these changes mean investing more in developing organisations and people, and supporting individuals to learn and earn throughout their life. Having workplace in Ireland future-fit means getting the government to support accredited learning throughout life including when people have left formal education; to examine alternative income mechanisms, such as the universal basic income to deal with more unstructured and insecure work patterns; and to take action to address Ireland’s looming pension crisis.”