Most UK companies are struggling to find the right employees for their needs, leading at least 20% to hire personnel that completely fail to meet job specifications, according to a new survey commissioned by recruitment firm Talent Party. The study of 200 line managers showed that 52% of employers have difficulty with finding staff who are equipped with the correct skills and experience required to fill available roles. As such, at least one in every two hires over the past two years is not fully meeting the original job description.

Almost half (46%) of line managers complain about the recruitment process is too lengthy to properly fulfil, with 48% claiming that hiring a new employee typically takes more than two months. The task of finding staff with the skills that their company requires is the second-biggest work stress for line managers, affecting 41% – falling between the stress of managing staff who are underperforming (56%) and managing a team that is understaffed (40%).

All three of those stresses impact upon each other, as unfilled vacancies have resulted in employees feeling overworked (66%), more stressed (54%) and having low morale (42%). Meanwhile, more than three quarters of line managers (77%) say they would like their company to give them more control over searching for the right candidate.

Talent Party launched a new recruitment facility today. As CEO Jamie Carlisle explained: “Although employers recognise that recruitment will never be foolproof, they often feel they don’t have enough control over the process and end up placing inadequate candidates. We’re turning the traditional recruitment model on its head by putting employers in the driving seat and letting them choose who makes the shortlist.”

He added: “This isn’t about cutting out the middleman, though. Recruiters play a crucial role in providing trusted consultancy to HRs – and by letting them ‘self-serve’, recruiters can focus their time on live opportunities rather than on cold calls.” Carlisle also pointed out that giving HR managers more control with technology would help to “revamp” a recruitment industry that has been “weathered” by the jobs crisis.