EMPLOYERS are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit suitably skilled workers, even as large numbers of young people remain locked out of the workforce, new research has found.

The Open University said its study suggested a “growing mismatch” between employer needs and available talent was preventing organisations from addressing persistent skills shortages.

A survey of 1,500 employers and 1,000 young people not in education, employment or training found more than half of employers were experiencing a skills shortage, up 3 per cent on last year, with two in five expecting the situation to worsen.

One in five organisations reported a decrease in recruitment over the past year, with many citing the wider adoption of artificial intelligence for entry-level tasks.

Two in five young people surveyed agreed AI was threatening their future job prospects.

Mark Durkin of the Open University said: “Despite rising unemployment levels, skills shortages across the four nations of the UK have remained a stubborn problem faced by many employers.

“Young people are the digital experts, nurses and engineers of the future and we need to work together to build those vital future skills pipelines in a more flexible and accessible way through innovative partnering.”