Managers plan to ‘develop transferable skills’ to battle downturn

Managers in the UK are more concerned about “preparing for a job hunt” as they have accepted that their jobs may not be secure and are therefore developing new skills.

That is according to research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), which suggests that there is a note of pragmatism amongst employees in the UK.

Some 27 per cent of those questioned said they were making an increased, concerted effort to “develop business networks” in case they lead to new employment prospects.

Commenting on the need to support managers who want to invest in training, Ruth Spellman, chief executive of the CMI, said: “If we can help people to dig deep and develop their skills this may enable them to move forwards as well as to move on.”

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While 22 per cent of those questioned say they were looking to “develop transferable skills” in the coming year, 25 per cent went as far as to say they had planned to “undertake a qualification”.

Business Link has suggested that while some companies are making redundancies, many companies are “very resilient and very inventive” when it comes to staying in business.