How to Fill the Skills Gap Within Your Workplace

Due to the many significant changes that have happened in the workforce since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a major shift in the job market and in workplace trends. Hybrid and remote work environments have become normal for many businesses and could shape the way we work for the future. With these changes, though, this has created a skills gap and shown the inequalities of skills among workers in the workforce. One study from McKinsey & Co. found that 87% of businesses are either experiencing a skills gap currently in their workforce or are anticipating one in the coming years.

But what does it mean that these companies are experiencing a skills gap? How can hiring managers see the skills gap and fill it in their workplace??

What is a skills gap?

In the simplest terms, a skills gap is the difference between an employee's current abilities and the skill set best suited for their job . Many companies will have a desired set of skills for their roles in order for them to be performed at their highest level. This set of skills can change depending on the market and changes within the organization. One of the biggest challenges that these organizations face is finding the employees to match the required skills for every position.?

Some factors that can contribute to a skills gap include:

• Lack of experience
• Poor recruitment process
• High turnover rates
• Changes in responsibilities
• Inadequate training processes

Many senior executives, about 92% according to a survey, think that workers in the American workforce are not as skilled as they need to be for the majority of available job opportunities. This can lead to inefficiencies in the workplace and employees not being able to perform their jobs. Management can assess their skills gap on a company-wide basis when they introduce new processes, technology, or when looking at their workplace culture.?

How important is it to analyze the skills gap in your company?

Skills gap analysis can be a critical tool for companies to assess how effective individuals are to the workforce. Learning how to identify and understand how these individuals limit the overall performance of the company has become essential for them to transform their business. Technology has been one of the biggest hurdles to overcome for workers who fall into the skill gap demographic. Under-skilled employees don't feel equipped to operate in the new wave of digital-centric workplaces due to either a lack of technical skills or inadequate training for their role.?

In response to this issue, hiring managers and other management personnel must be able to assess their existing employees and re-tool their training and development programs and recruitment process to find qualified candidates in the current talent pipeline. However, in the current economy, businesses are having to compete for skilled workers , so creating a better active training program for employees can help them gain better technology skills and teach them more essential skills for their role.?

There are generally three types of skills gaps that leaders should be able to assess in their organization:

• Skills Gap - refers to the ability to apply the proper knowledge in a given situation. Employees can gain knowledge through studying; skills must be performed. Soft skills are also included in this, such as communication skills and emotional intelligence.
• Knowledge Gap -?refers to a lack of knowledge related and required for a specific position, whether it is the specific knowledge needed to successfully perform tasks or how their work fits with the organization.
• Performance Gap -?refers to the lack of engagement or motivation that often leads to poor employee performance. This gap differs in the sense that the employee has all the basic skills to perform but is underachieving in their current position.

Benefits of conducting a skills gap assessment

When leadership takes the time to assess their current workforce with a skill gap analysis, it can lead to a wide range of benefits. These include:

• Improved productivity
• Competitive advantages over other companies
• Better understanding of the current skill levels of current employees
• Better formal training and onboarding processes that promote growth

How managers can close the gap

Managers and those in leadership positions know that there are not only talent shortages in this competitive labor market, but they are facing an issue with the skills shortage. When they properly perform a skills gap analysis and are able to take the proper actions to close the gap within their organization, they will come away with more skilled employees and achieve more bottom-line growth. Building skills within their organization and taking the time to help individual employees will in turn help the organization grow. Making an effort to install continuous learning and a growth mindset can assist in creating a better workplace culture and help the future workforce with more in-depth job training in our new digital economy.

There are several ways that leadership can fill any current or potential skill gaps in the future.?Upskilling?refers to the addition of new business skills, such as tech skills, leadership skills, customer service skills, and other critical skills to help them grow in their current role or other job positions.?Reskilling?refers to the training of employees to transition to a new role. Perhaps they don't have the exact skill set or experience for their current position, but could benefit from reskilling for a new role that they can be successful in. This helps add value to them as an individual, but also to the organization as a whole.?Digital Training?focuses on training employees in the digital skills needed to perform in the modern workforce and the new hybrid and remote work environment.

Looking for skilled employees to close your gap?

We understand that skills gaps exist for many businesses in today's modern workforce. Scion Staffing recognizes that business leaders are always looking for skilled workers for their open job postings and it can be difficult to find the right qualified candidates with the right skills for the role. We have a national candidate pool with many talented and skilled candidates that can be the right fit for your organizational needs. To get started, visit our website or contact our award-winning recruiting team today to find qualified talent!