Employersfeartheywillbeunablerecruitstudentswiththeskillstheyneedastheeconomicrecoverykicksin, anewsurvey67.reveals.

Nearlyhalfoforganisationstoldresearcherstheywerealreadystrugglingtofind68.staffwithskillsinscience, technology, engineeringandmaths(STEM), 69.whileevenmorecompaniesexpecttoexperience70.shortagesofemployeeswithStemskillsinthenextthreeyears.

TheConfederationofBritishIndustryandthevocationalqualificationsbodyEDI71.surveyed694 organisationsacrossthepublicand72.privatesectors, whichtogetheremploy2.4 millionpeople.

Halfare73.concernedtheywillnotbeabletofillgraduatepostsinthecomingyears, whileathirdsaidtheywouldnotbeableto74.recruitenoughemployeeswiththerightA-levelskills.

"75.Aswemovefurtherintorecoveryandbusinessesplan76.forgrowth, thedemandforpeoplewithhigh-qualityskillsandqualificationswill77.intensify," saidRichardLambert, directorgeneral, CBI.

"Inthefuture, peoplewithqualificationsinscienceandmathswillbeparticularlysoughtafter, andfirmssayitisalreadyhardtofindpeoplewiththeright78.technicalorengineeringskills. Thenewgovernmentmustmakeitatop79.prioritytoencouragemoreyoungpeopletostudyscience-related80.subjects."

Thesurveyfoundthatyoungpeoplewouldimprovetheirjobprospects81.iftheystudiedbusinessstudies, maths, EnglishandphysicsorchemistryatA-level. TheA-levelsthatemployers82.rateleastarepsychologyandsociology. Andwhilemanyemployersdon'tinsistona83.particulardegreesubject, athirdprefertohirethosewithaStem-relatedsubject.

Theresearch84.highlightedworriesaboutthelackofprogressinimprovingbasicskillsintheUK85.workforce. Halfofemployersexpressedworriesaboutemployees'basicliteracyandnumeracyskills, whilethebiggestproblemiswithITskills, 86.wheretwo-thirdsreportedconcerns.