The skills gap is widening and tightening the job market, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2019 State of the Workplace report released today.

According to one survey used in the report, 52% of HR professionals said that the skills gap has worsened or greatly worsened in the past two years. Additionally, 83% said they have noticed a decrease in the quality of job applicants, with one-third citing a lack of needed technical skills.

The gap is evident in the trades, middle-skilled positions and highly skilled STEM positions, according to the report. Carpentry, plumbing, welding and machining are the technical abilities most lacking in the workforce. Data analysis, science, engineering, medical and finance talent is also in short supply.

While about three-quarters of survey respondents said foreign-born workers contribute positively to US economic growth and help drive innovation, more than one-third said their businesses were challenged by an insufficient number of employment-based visas, such as H-1Bs, to recruit these workers. Additionally, one-third said the employment-based immigration process was lengthy and complex with unpredictable results.

“A majority of Americans, 63%, believe what employers facing difficulty in recruiting have known for some time — there is a skills shortage in the workforce,” SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. said. “What is now clear is that innovative thinking and resolute action are needed, and public policy must change.”

The report is based on surveys, including a skills gap survey with 1,028 respondents who were HR professionals; and a SHRM employment-based immigration survey included 785 respondents who were HR professionals. A separate NORC Amerispeak Omnibus poll asked 1,059 Americans about national issues of significance to them.