The majority, or 59%, of UK recruiters say there is an “opportunity divide” between affluent talent and less privileged talent, according to a survey of more than 2,000 global recruitment professionals by Bullhorn, a supplier of software to staffing firms.

According to Bullhorn, the “opportunity divide” further compounds a chronic challenge for recruiters: the lack of available talent.

Approximately 78% of respondents claimed that dealing with shallow talent pools and skills shortages and gaps will be a top hiring challenge this year. Moreover, 57% of respondents agreed that skills shortages in certain sectors in the UK are worse in 2019 than they were five years ago.

Bullhorn’s survey also showed that the generational divide is a significant stumbling block for recruiters as 45% said that millennials (those between 22-37 years old) are the hardest group to reach. Comparatively, 15% said the same of baby boomers (54-72 years old).

The survey highlighted other possible solutions for skills gaps with 77% of recruiters agreeing that their clients must accelerate salary increases if they are to compete for the best candidates. However, 34% also said that encouraging employers to do this will be another top challenge for this year, largely owing to uncertain economic conditions.

Meanwhile, 25% said that reskilling workers due to the changing nature of jobs will be a daunting prospect. Despite this challenge, 77% agreed that reskilling workers will be an effective way to address the problem of shallow talent pools.

According to Bullhorn’s survey, 60% of recruiters believe organisations with a strong degree of diversity are more productive.

Peter Linas, Bullhorn’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and International, commented, “Economic, political, and generational considerations are aggravating talent gaps, and recruiters must look beyond conventional solutions. While there is a clear ‘opportunity divide’ in the jobs market, adopting diverse hiring practices isn’t just the right thing to do: it’s good business.”

Despite hiring challenges, more than a quarter of UK recruiters expect a revenue increase of 25%, 61% expect their number of temporary placements to increase, and 58% anticipate increasing their investment in technology.