Survey reveals SME recruitment issues

THREE quarters of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands believe that graduates offer a high value to their organisation, Birmingham City Business School (BCBS) research has revealed.

But many SMES are having problems finding the right personnel for their business.

Some 10,000 SMEs from across the region were surveyed to see how they pursue new talent.

Despite companies feeling that graduates are valuable assets, 48% of those questioned say that they struggle to recruit high-calibre young people. As a result, half of these organisations have not employed a graduate in the past three years, whilst almost a third (30%) have never hired a graduate at all.

To help those struggling to recruit fresh talent, BCBS is encouraging closer links with universities. Currently, only 38% of the SMEs questioned have had any contact with a West Midlands university.

Professor Martin Reynolds, head of the Centre for Leadership and Management Practice at BCBS, said: “Whilst it is brilliant to see that so many companies feel graduates offer great value to an organisation, it is also disappointing to see that almost half feel that the talent is not available to them.

“In order to get an understanding of what these SMEs are looking for, it is vital that we as universities have close working relationships with SMEs and vice-versa.

“Graduates offer businesses the type of highly-skilled workers that they need to push on and develop, so if we can help tailor their skill sets to include factors that SMEs are looking for it will make them even more effective as soon as they start work.

“Just like any large organisation, SMEs need to recruit and attract young talent into their business to develop their capability to grow.”