Approximately 47% of businesses in the UK believe that developing staff internally will be their greatest opportunity from a talent management perspective over the next three years, according to a survey by Guidant Global.

The survey of 1,500 UK-based hiring managers also found that 78% of all respondents said they are currently finding it difficult to access the quality and volume of talent their businesses need to thrive, with 39% of hiring managers finding that uncertainty around Brexit has directly impacted access to talent.

Other measures that those surveyed plan on implementing to bridge current and future skills gaps include using technology to plan and manage workforces more strategically (22%) and tapping into underused talent pools (16%).

A further 8% of hiring managers plan on taking a more global approach to sourcing and managing staff, while 5% are maximising the potential of contingent talent by flexing workforces to meet demand.

“While the chronic skills shortages which are impacting the UK labour market have been well documented, these findings demonstrate that smart businesses are working hard behind the scenes to mitigate against future talent gaps,” Simon Blockley, Managing Director, EMEA, at Guidant Global, said.

“It’s encouraging to see that a significant proportion of businesses are concentrating on training and developing existing teams as part of their wider talent management strategy, particularly when you consider that skills demand is shifting rapidly in line with the digital revolution,” Blockley said. “Taking this approach also has the added benefit of increasing engagement levels, which is proven to have a positive impact on retention and productivity long-term.”