Industry warned against skills exodus

The automotive industry has been warned against losing talent from the industry for good as a result of redundancies brought about by Covid-19.

Glen Callum Associates (GCA) said the danger is that skilled technicians who lose their jobs will leave the industry, making the existing skills crisis even more acute.

Director Glen Shepherd said: “The threat of redundancies looms large across the UK and we’re urging businesses in automotive, engineering and industrial sectors not to lose the expertise that’s currently in the market.

“It’s important to note some of the similarities between now and the financial crisis in 2008. Then, there were large scale cutbacks but a quick recovery, similar to what we are seeing now in some sectors. This meant however, that companies lost access to people when they needed them most.

“In all the webinars I have attended, it’s clear that, while we are undoubtedly seeing work patterns change, it is effective people that will propel businesses forward.”

He said: “Companies need to work with recruiters even if they aren’t recruiting. “Recruitment shouldn’t be knee-jerk, especially in the current situation.”

GCA has enhanced the recruitment process for automotive businesses, with a number of new initiatives, such as recorded candidate video interviews and impartial candidate profiling.