posted 17th November 2025
In recent times, the skills gap has become more prominent across various industries when employers seek qualified candidates especially as candidate expectations are evolving.
Employers are finding it challenging to spot suitable talent in a competitive market and narrow the skills gap - especially across the construction, technology, and manufacturing sectors. In a world where flexible working is growing and technology fast evolving, employers need to create effective hiring strategies to attract qualified candidates with suitable skillsets.
In this article, we’ll examine the growing skills shortage across the UK and how to overcome it by applying strong skills-based hiring strategies, training programmes and looking beyond traditional credentials. We’ll also explore how to explore underutilised talent pools and how staffing agency experts Nustaff help employers identify and connect with talented candidates in a competitive market.
Understanding the Skills Gap Across UK Sectors
As a result of the wide skills gap occurring in various UK industries, employers are experiencing a lack of specialised skills in the workplace. With ongoing AI and digital developments, it’s important for employers to bridge the skills gap and embrace technological developments to attract suitable candidates.
There are various ways employers can attract talent to the workplace to fill the skills-gap. This starts by reaching out to passive candidates in a competitive market, looking beyond qualifications, applying skilled-based hiring strategies and implementing talent and skill-based training into workplace models.
Whether it be temporary staffing, seasonal hiring, temporary recruitment or permanent staff, employers can experience:
- Higher employee retention
- Enhanced business growth
- Identifying Passive and Hidden Candidates
When seeking skilled candidates for suitable roles – including temporary staffing, seasonal hiring or permanent hiring – employers can create effective and string hiring strategies.
The next step is to explore the competitive market to identify and target passive and hidden candidates.
These are candidates that are not actively looking for new roles but are open to new opportunities or those who are hidden in a crowded talent pool.
By aligning the skills-gap with business goals and meeting the needs of passive candidates, employers can attract the right talent.
Employers can do this by:
- Enhancing their brand presence at industry events
- Reaching out to talent across social media platforms including LinkedIn
- Seeking advice and support from staffing agencies for workforce solutions
Exploring Underutilised Talent Pools in a Competitive Market
An effective way to discover skilled candidates is by exploring underutilised talent pools for diversity hiring.
By examining business goals and how to narrow the skills gap to boost team productivity and quality, employers can bridge the gap and enhance growth.
This can be done by:
- Engaging passive candidates, young talent, and those with transferable skills
- Looking beyond qualifications and seeking candidates with unique and valuable skills
Creating Effective Skills-Based Hiring Strategies
Creating skills-based training methods into hiring strategies is an effective way for employers to hire suitable candidates, especially within a competitive market.
Skills-based hiring methods help candidates stand out and show how suitable they are for role by putting their qualifications into practise. For employers, this involves discovering what skills are needed for various roles to fill the skills-gap. Not only does this approach encourage access to a wider range of candidates, it enhances diversity hiring opportunities and employee retention within teams.
Ways to implement skills-based hiring strategies can include:
- Offering apprenticeships and mentoring
- Creating enticing job descriptions that focuses on suitable skills and talent
- Implementing valuable practical tasks within interview techniques to assess suitable skills
- Looking beyond words and examining candidate behavioural skills
- Focusing on candidate soft-skills and talent regarding the STAR method
Building Talent Through Training and Development
Once talent has been discovered within a competitive market from successful skill-based hiring strategies, employers can build effective training and development to narrow the skills-gap within teams.
This will enable candidates to apply the skills and talent they have, which will not only boost productivity but enhance employee retention and career growth opportunities.
A way for employers to build talent within teams can include:
- Conducting regular one-to-one mentoring and upskill training
- Developing skill progression pathways for confidence building
- Organise regular team training sessions to enhance employee retention
How NuStaff Helps Employers Overcome the Skills Gap Crisis
For employers looking to narrow the skills gap and identify qualified candidates in a competitive market, trusted staffing agency NuStaff is here to help.
We know how important it is to hire suitable, skilled candidates and develop their talents within the workplace. That’s why we deliver effective recruitment services and workforce solutions to help employers bridge the skills gap and achieve successful outcomes.
Our expert staff provide valuable support to help employers:
- Target passive and hidden clients in a competitive market
- Explore underutilised talent pools
- Develop innovative hiring strategies
- Create effective interview techniques
- Implement training and development for stronger teams and compliance
Contact NuStaff for Expert Advice:
📞 Call us: 03442 645 456
📧 Email: info@nustaff.com
🌐 Visit: www.nustaff.com