New survey by The Execu|Search Group reveals attracting right talent and skills shortage as biggest challenges for employers in 2014.

Highlights of report include:

• Almost half of all respondents (45 per cent) answered ‘Attracting the Right Talent’ as one of the biggest challenges in growing their business, while 26 per cent named a ‘skills shortage.’
• The skills shortage is especially prevalent in the Healthcare sector, where 43 per cent of respondents reported experiencing a skills shortage.
• Financial Services is another sector where the skills shortage is prevalent. With each new federal mandate, employers are seemingly needing a new set of specialized employees to keep their company compliant or drive the business forward.
• Another significant finding is that the executives who are making hiring decisions are now putting greater emphasis on “soft skills” in their hiring strategy.

The top four most in-demand “soft skills” include: problem solving and analytical thinking skills, the ability to act as a team player, initiative/drive, and effective communication skills.

Watch the discussion on Bloomberg Television
Catalpa Capital Founder, Chairman & CIO Joseph McAlinden and Execu-Search CEO & Founder Edward Fleischman discuss how they think the jobs report doesn’t reflect the underlying economy and the hiring outlook for 2014.