More than half (56%) of South West firms are reporting difficulty recruiting skilled staff, and a third (33%) have seen increased staff turnover since June 2016, according to a new employment and skills study from Lloyds Banking Group and London business membership organisation, London First.

The study sought to analyse the impact of Brexit on business recruitment and access to skills across the UK.

The skills shortage is proving to be an issue for businesses, with 38% saying it had impacted their activity. More than half (53%) said it had increased workload and stress for existing staff and 40% said it had made it harder to respond to customer needs.