Four in ten UK employers are struggling to recruit experienced mid-level professionals, with skills shortages continuing to affect workforce planning despite uncertain economic conditions and changing expectations around recruitment.
The Hays UK Workforce Trends & Salary Guide 2027 found that 40% of employers experienced difficulties securing mid-level talent, while 86% reported skills shortages of some kind during the previous 12 months.
The annual research draws on responses from more than 11,200 employers and professionals across the UK, examining recruitment intentions, salary expectations, career development, and changing workforce requirements.
Experienced employees capable of managing teams and implementing operational changes remain difficult to secure. These roles frequently involve translating senior management decisions into working processes, supervising staff, and maintaining service delivery.
Shortages at this level can restrict an organisation’s ability to expand operations, improve productivity, or introduce new technology, even when the necessary investment has been approved.
Career development influences retention —
Nearly two-thirds of surveyed professionals, 63%, reported limited or unclear opportunities for progression, while 37% said they would consider changing employers to obtain better career prospects.
These findings point to a potential mismatch between organisations’ demand for experienced recruits and the development opportunities available to existing employees.
Creating effective progression routes requires employers to identify the skills needed for promotion, provide opportunities to acquire relevant experience, and explain how advancement decisions are made.
Pay remains another important consideration. Seventy per cent of employers reported rising candidate salary expectations, placing pressure on recruitment budgets and existing remuneration arrangements.
Higher starting salaries can also create questions about differences between the pay offered to new recruits and the remuneration received by established employees undertaking comparable work.
Flexible working continues to influence employment decisions. The research found that 82% of professionals ranked flexibility among their most important benefits, while 23% had rejected a role because the available arrangements were insufficient.
Employers seeking experienced staff must therefore consider remuneration alongside career development, working arrangements, and the opportunities available within individual roles.
Technology changes the skills required —
Nearly half of surveyed employers, 48%, plan to invest in AI and automation, while 51% of professionals expressed an interest in developing their AI skills.
Introducing these systems can alter responsibilities and increase demand for employees capable of overseeing automated processes, interpreting information, and managing changes to established working practices.
Tom Way, chief executive of Hays UK and Ireland, said: “Workforce decisions have become significantly more complex. Employers are balancing productivity, transformation and AI adoption alongside continued pressure around skills, capability and changing workforce expectations.”
The challenges extend to management capability. Organisations introducing new technology need people who can determine where it will be useful, support employees through changes to their work, and assess whether the investment improves performance.
Hays found that 39% of employers planned to increase recruitment, suggesting that competition for experienced professionals could remain substantial even where overall hiring activity is subdued.
Internal development may help address some shortages, although it requires sufficient time, resources, and opportunities for employees to acquire the necessary experience.
The survey identifies recruitment, retention, and workforce development as connected priorities, particularly where plans for growth or operational change depend on skills that are already difficult to obtain.
