Employers finding it more difficult to recruit skilled people

Two years ago it was common for employers to get hundreds of applications for one low level vacancy. Well, the table has turned and it's now become more of a buyers' market where job seekers with good skills and experience are in shorter supply.

This is good news for the over 50s who typically are better equipped to make a contribution to a business large or small with less training or down time. According to the latest data, there is a shortage of skilled candidates in 75 per cent of UK cities. SkilledPeople.com and Adzuna have both seen vacancies rise to almost 1.2 million over the last 12 months but job hunter levels have dropped to 700,000.