A study has found worrying skill gaps in the UK’s labour force, with 53% of employers lacking confidence in their ability to find people with the right skills.

Employers are also worried about basic skills with 40% having serious concerns about their employees’ ability to read, write and do simple arithmetic, according to the CBI/Edexcel Education & Skills Survey 2008.

Another area of concern is IT skills. Over half of employers have concerns about the ability of existing employees to use computers, even though 69% of companies invest in training.

"A worrying number of employers have little confidence that they will be able to plug their skills gaps. In our new stock take of the nation's skills, too many firms also say poor basic skills are hampering customer service and acting as a drag on their business's performance,” said John Cridland, the CBI's deputy director-general.