Approximately one in two organisations experience difficulty recruiting paid staff because of:

• few or no applicants 69%
• lack of experienced, qualified or skilled applicants 68%
• low salaries 46%

One in three organisations have difficulty recruiting volunteers. Reasons include: 

• people have no time
• low profile/not a popular charity
• competition with other groups
• difficult/specialised areas of work

Many organisations indicate that they anticipate strong competition for skilled staff over the next 2-3 years. However, some voluntary organisations are optimistic about recruitment in the future as they expect a lower level of recruitment, and the prospect of a less competitive labour market.

Source: Wilding, et al. 2003 and VSNTO 2003b

Occupations in which it is difficult to recruit are for example:

• development officers
• fundraisers 
• nurses
• training officers
• social workers
• development workers

Source: VSNTO 2003b

Skills gaps are less widespread than skills shortages. 

Skills gaps vary in scope, covering both management and wider organisational skills. Management skills are widely cited as a barrier to full proficiency. The ability to plan and organise is a key skills gap. The difficulty of addressing the volume of skills gaps has been made more difficult by the rapid increase in the number of employees in the voluntary sector. Most voluntary organisations are looking for multi-skilled staff.

Skills needs for the future include:

• management skills (such as planning and organising, project management and strategic planning) 
• team working and partnership working skills
• leadership
• fundraising skills

Source: Wilding, et al. 2003