Invest in your team

Employer advice

Be prepared, if you have staff with management, digital and data skills you could be in for a rocky road. Why, you might ask?

Well, latest research from LinkedIn has shown that the talent most in demand are candidates with the following skills:

  • Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
  • Middleware and Integration Software
  • HR Benefits and Compensation
  • Web Architecture and Development Framework
  • Mobile Development
  • Perl/Python/Ruby
  • SEO/SEM Marketing
  • Network and Information Security
  • Data Presentation
  • Data Engineering and Data Warehousing

Also, the ability to analyse complex data has now overtaken speaking a second language as the most desirable skill to have at interview. Soft skills are also in demand, with UK recruiters naming ownership, strategic thinking, communication and persistence as the most in demand attributes. More than three in five recruiters find soft skills hard to source.

But I've already got the staff I need how does it relate to me?

You may have the staff you need now, but have you done enough to secure them in their role in the long term? With social media and growing individual online presence it's easy to identify your employees and their skills. It is easier for recruiters, hiring managers and your competition to connect and message your key talent directly with the lure of a new job, more pay and a better job title. HR Benefits and Compensation as a skill has jumped a mighty 18 places on this list in the last 12 months; a direct result of companies trying to attract and retain the best candidates with benefits packages.

If you're a manager or leader of personnel with these skills, be prepared because the market is becoming more transient and your key talent are looking elsewhere, causing a headache for businesses looking to action growth plans. There's nothing worse than having your perfect plans for 2017 scuppered by key players announcing their departure, and the pain caused by having to put plans on hold.

So how do you keep your best staff? Our free whitepaper - The Personnel Challenge - gives practical advice on retaining top talent with some of the key points including:

  1. Career management
  2. Reward and recognition programmes
  3. Training and development

To find out more and make sure your staff stick around for long term growth, download our free whitepaper here.