Employers in Essex are struggling to find skilled candidates for junior roles. 
The growing problem is highlighted in a survey conducted by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. The survey used Essex businesses as a focal model. 
Noel Tagoe, executive director of Cima’s education facility, said: “With record employment in the UK, our research finds a lack of essential skills in new hires is affecting the performance of firms. More than 90 per cent of those we surveyed in Essex reported their workload had increased as a result of skills shortages, with 40 per cent agreeing it had caused a fall in departmental performance.” 
The research reveals a third (31 per cent) of firms take more than two months to fill junior roles, and on appointment three quarters (75 per cent) of UK school leavers require significant training, a third higher than in Europe. 
The research draws a stark contrast between the capabilities of UK and European school leavers. 
While both sides of the Channel reported a similar lack of technical skills, particularly in financial service industries, UK candidates were found to be almost twice as likely to lack basic literacy and numeracy than their European peers. 
Mr Tagoe said: “Too many are leaving the school gates ill-equipped for the world of work. The situation fails the economy, and it fails our young people. If the UK is going to continue to prosper as a service economy we must maintain our skills base. 
“As a nation our physical assets are limited, but our intangible assets embodied in the skills and creativity of our workforce ought to be limitless.” 
The survey, which also covered business attitudes to graduates and apprentices, reveals a more positive story for the UK’s higher education sector. 
UK graduates were found to require less training than their European counterparts. Just 39 per cent of UK graduates required significant training compared to 43 per cent of those in Europe.