The majority, or 95%, of recruiters around the world say they are confident they can find the right candidate for open positions according to a survey from job board Monster.

However, despite their confidence 71% of recruiters say they struggle to fill a position because of candidate skills gaps.

Monster’s ‘2019 State of the Candidate’ survey also found that 77% of recruiters consider active candidates to be high quality.

Meanwhile, 85% of recruiters agree that candidates exaggerate skills and competencies on their resume. Monster states that, while these candidates look good on paper, recruiters need to adjust expectations to consider candidates with most or some (70%) of the necessary skills to find the right fit.

“For recruiters to be effective, the industry must continue to adapt to the needs of both candidates and employers,” Scott Gutz, Chief Executive Officer, Monster, said. “The reality is that the skills and generational gaps will continue to widen in the years to come. But by focusing on addressing those challenges today, companies will be able to not only identify top talent, but also retain and grow their existing employee base.”

"Today's tight labour market is making it increasingly challenging for organisations to find and hire outside talent that has all of the necessary skills and is the right fit,” Gutz said. “Upskilling is critical to not only retain top talent, but also to attract qualified candidates from competitors.”

“Companies need to evolve how they view the role upskilling plays within their own organization. Further, it's crucial that recruiters think about the impact the skills gap has across generations,” Gutz said.

Monster’s survey polled recruiters across the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, US and Canada.