Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, has polled over 500 project professionals working for UK-based SMEs, and 82% in healthcare said their employer needs to improve project skills across the workforce.
More than eight in ten small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the healthcare sector have been identified with “concerning” skills shortages in project management, putting at risk the delivery of future projects.
The most popular solution to fixing the skills gap was ‘recruiting more widely across different professions’ (selected by 56% of healthcare respondents) followed by ‘training and upskilling existing employees’ (46%) and ‘greater awareness of project management as a profession’ (44%). Respondents could pick multiple options.
82% in healthcare said their employer needs to improve project skills across the workforce.
The skills gap was also cited when the same respondents were asked to rank the biggest challenges facing project growth.
The top-ranked answer was ‘technology infrastructure inadequate to meet end-user needs’ (41%) followed by ‘accessing enough people with the right project-related skills’ and ‘economic and political uncertainty’ (both 33%).
A large majority (87%) said their employer has enough time and resources to dedicate to training and development for project professionals.
However, less than half (48%) said their SME places value on training and developing or upskilling project professionals.
87% said their employer has enough time and resources to dedicate to training and development for project professionals.
This was the second-lowest figure out of all 17 sectors, in contrast to education (94%) and engineering (91%). The survey’s overall average was 70%.
Meanwhile, soft skills were highlighted as the most important attribute for successful project delivery. The highest-ranked answer was adaptability/flexibility (22%) followed by team management and stakeholder engagement (both 17%).
The least popular answers were personal time management (5%) and AI-related skills (7%).
Professor Adam Boddison OBE, Chief Executive of APM, said: "Our survey sheds vital light on the critical need for SMEs in the healthcare sector to prioritise investment in project management. While it is somewhat encouraging that employers appear to understand the unique value of project professionals, it is concerning that 82% of respondents believe their SME needs to improve project skills at such a critical time with net zero, technology and global events disrupting business activity."
The project profession now employs an estimated 2.32 million full-time equivalent workers (FTEs) across all UK sectors, the report also found.
"Project professionals are at the forefront of delivering growth and change but they need skills investment in order to provide real-time solutions for difficult challenges," Boddison continued.
"As SMEs and the sector navigate an increasingly dynamic landscape, the need to manage projects effectively becomes ever more paramount for sustained growth and success. By taking action now to invest in project skills, employers can better streamline their operations and help ensure projects are delivered to budget, timescales and quality," Boddison concluded.
The skills gap is defined as the disparity between skills employers need or find desirable and the skills current or future employees possess to meet job role demands.
Less than half (48%) said their SME places value on training and developing or upskilling project professionals.
The term dates to the 1990s but long-held concerns over the skills gap remain, exacerbated by globalisation, technology and the need for more specialised skills.
The survey follows APM’s Golden Thread Report 2024, conducted by PwC Research, which found project management contributes to the UK economy £186.8 billion of annual gross value added (GVA) – a key measure of productivity – across all sectors.
This is a growth of over £30bn in five years. The public healthcare sector GVA within project management was £8.47bn in the report, while the equivalent private healthcare figure stood at £6.86bn.
The project profession now employs an estimated 2.32 million full-time equivalent workers (FTEs) across all UK sectors, the report also found.
It means 8.5% of the UK’s total FTEs are employed in project-related roles and the profession delivers over 9% of total UK GVA.
