One MILLION job vacancies, the end of furlough and the demand for digital: could SME Covid survivors fall at the employment hurdle?

In what has been a critical stage of recovery, many SMEs have come through a period of immense challenges, however, a parallel problem is arising that could threaten the survival of thousands of these firms. This problem comes in an acute lack of available skilled staff, as the number of advertised jobs hits one million, rising by over 35% in the last month alone, and the number of people on payroll grew to levels not seen since the start of the pandemic.

As the number of people in employment grows and vacancies hit record levels, an acute lack of available talent is being experienced by almost every sector of the UK economy, from hospitality, to the highly skilled digital experts easing the transition from physical spaces to the digital world. As such, a new report has outlined the crippling shortage of programmers and software development professionals, where 68,929 vacancies exist in a sector that has come to be more vital than ever for the survival of businesses.

Additionally, the UK furlough scheme is set to end on September 30th, which is thought to have supported around 11.5 million jobs since it was introduced in 2020. With more jobs under threat in light of this, there is potential for the hiring process to become even more complicated for SMEs who are already struggling to hire skilled workers.

Programmers and software developers have become increasingly important as lockdown restrictions and a changing consumer mindset has increased demand for digital solutions. Whether it be an app to order a drink at a pub or a need to offer online shopping, a digital offering is now essential. Demand for this skillset has rocketed recently, this is according to software development and team augmentation specialists DCSL GuideSmiths, who help firms keep up with project demands by finding the right talent to help deliver results quickly.