After employers had identified the occupations in which under-utilisation most commonly occurred in their establishment, they were then asked why they felt that it occurred among these staff. As shown in Figure 4.2, the most common cause of under-utilisation, as perceived by the employer, was a lack of interest among staff to take on a higher level role with more responsibility; more than a quarter of establishments where under- utilisation occurred cited this reason (26 per cent) 27.
Figure 4.2 Reasons for under-utilisation (unprompted)
In similar vein, this was followed by the rationale that working hours were better suited to the individual in question in the roles that the under-utilised staff were currently occupying (15 per cent). This opens up the question as to whether – if employers redesigned job roles, and/or adapted the conditions of employment in other ways – there could be opportunities for them to better utilise the skills and qualifications that are already available to them within their organisation.
5% 10% 1% 3% 4% 4% 4% 7% 7% 8% 10% 11% 15% 26% Don't know Not particular reason / it just happened They have more than one job Qualifications / skills not relevant to job role Family-run business Actively seek staff with quals / skills beyond needs Competition for higher level roles / struggling to get higher level
job
Attractive conditions of employment Temporary role / stop gap They own the business / are a partner in the business To gain experience / current role is lower level in same industry
as desired higher level role
Lack of jobs in desired higher level role Working hours suit them better They are not interested in taking on higher level role
Similar proportions of employers – around one in ten – felt under-utilisation occurred due to either a lack of jobs in desired higher level roles or staff needing to gain experience in their desired industry before progressing to such roles (11 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively). These factors are arguably closely related, driven (or at least enhanced) by a demand deficiency for the skills and/or qualifications held by these staff. This may be a structural issue reflecting an over-supply of suitably skilled people looking for a particular type of role; or it may be more transient in nature, reflecting a lag between people acquiring skills and being able to utilise them, or receiving recognition for them (for example, through promotion).
Key findings of how different types of under-utilisation relate to the different occupations are shown in Table 4.1 (for full breakdown see Table A.4.2 in Annex A).
Employers perceived a lack of interest from staff in taking on higher roles to be the main reason for under-utilisation across the majority of occupations, and most prominently in relation to Caring, Leisure and Other Services staff (33 per cent). Bucking this trend were Administrative and Clerical staff, and Elementary staff; the former were most commonly deemed to be occupying roles in which they are under-utilised due to more suitable working hours (26 per cent), the latter because the role is temporary or a stop gap position (21 per cent). Sales and Customer Services staff were also more likely to be reported as under-utilised due to the temporary nature of their current role (20 per cent).
Table 4.1 Reasons for under-utilisation by occupation
Occupation Main reasons for under-utilisation (Other) Variations from the average
Managers
1. Not interested in taking on higher level role (27%) 2. They own the business / are a partner (16%) 3. The working hours suit them better (11%)
Professionals
1. Not interested in taking on higher level role (27%) 2. To gain experience / current role is lower level in
same industry as desired higher level role (13%) 3. The working hours suit them better (11%)
They own the business / are a partner (8%): significantly higher proportion than all other
occupations bar Managers
Associate Professionals
1. Not interested in taking on higher level role (28%) 2. To gain experience / current role is lower level in
same industry as desired higher level role (13%) 3. Lack of jobs in desired higher level role (11%)
Administrative / Clerical staff
1. The working hours suit them better (26%) 2. Not interested in taking on higher level role (23%) 3. Lack of jobs in desired higher level role (12%)
Family run business most commonly reported for this occupation (6%)
Skilled Trades occupations
1. Not interested in taking on higher level role (28%) 2. The working hours suit them better (10%)
Family run business most commonly reported for this occupation (6%)
Caring, Leisure and Other Services
1. Not interested in taking on higher level role (33%) 2. The working hours suit them better (18%) 3. To gain experience / current role is lower level in
same industry as desired higher level role (18%)
Sales and Customer Services
1. Current role is temporary / stop gap (20%) 2. Not interested in taking on higher level role (20%) 3. Lack of jobs in desired higher level role (19%) 4. The working hours suit them better (19%)
Competition for higher levels roles most commonly reported for this occupation (7%)
Machine Operatives
1. Not interested in taking on higher level role (30%)
2. Lack of jobs in the desired higher level role (15%) 3. The working hours suit them better (14%)
Actively seeking staff with qualifications above those needed for role most commonly reported for this occupation (7%)
Elementary staff
1. Current role is temporary / stop gap (21%)
2. The working hours suit them better (19%)
3. Not interested in taking on higher level role (17%)
They have more than one job most commonly reported for this occupation (3%)