The CIPD's latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook report reveals that hard-to-fill vacancies remain common and this is forcing employers to look ahead at ways to improve their productivity and efficiency to negate the need to fill certain roles. The data shows that almost a quarter of organisations are introducing or increasing automation to address vacancies - almost twice the level in summer 2022 and is largely attributed to rise of generative AI. However, it notes that 36% of employers see privacy and security concerns as the main drawback to implementing generative AI in their workplace. 

The report suggests that employers should take a varied approach to addressing hard-to-fill vacancies, including by adopting inclusive recruitment and selection approaches to help broaden talent pools, and the use of upskilling opportunities to develop their own existing workforce.