BOSSES in the North-west are finding it hard to recruit the right young people with qualifications and skills above the average.

A recent North West Chambers of Commerce survey, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, found this was a particular headache for larger firms.

Researchers found that this was most evident in the service sector.

Poor Information Technology skills were also an area of concern for would-be employers - in both the manufacturing and service sectors.

Flexible

Numeracy and literacy skills caused the least problems for businesses.

But many employers felt candidates lacked self-motivation and there was also an unwillingness to work flexible hours.

The survey found there was a strong preference for recruiting younger employees.

It says in the conclusion: "Finding the right young people, with higher levels of skills and an appropriate level of commitment and self-motivation is the greatest source of recruitment problems in the North-west, especially for large firms."

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