One of the big growth sectors of the North West economy is being undermined by huge staff attrition rates and a shortage of talented, skilled employees.

Online businesses, defined in a new report by The Candidate as businesses which take at least 20 percent of their total revenue via online channels, are on average recruiting at least once a year to fill vacant roles in their digital marketing teams. The majority of this recruitment (87 percent) is to replace outgoing members of staff who have been in their role for under two years on average, an indication of high turnover levels across the industry. The digital sector is increasingly important to the North West economy and has experienced significant growth over the past five years. Research by Manchester Digital highlights that digital content and ICT industries account for 45,800 jobs in the Greater Manchester area and generate around £2 billion per year.

Colin Telford, Managing Partner, The Candidate, comments: “Discovering such a high level of turnover for digital marketing staff working in-house has confirmed that this is a real issue for the digital sector in the North West. Coupled with a shortage of digital candidates in the region, this is something that could have a serious impact on the ability of the industry to continue to grow and develop at a pace that keeps the North West one of the biggest players in the digital economy.

We have found that lots of digital professionals believe that working for agencies offers more opportunities to develop new skills and progress quicker. To attract and retain the right candidates for a secure, effective and well-motivated in house digital team, online businesses could look at developing strategies to ensure they keep up with digital trends and find candidates with the right skills to impact on their business.”