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A quarter of businesses in London have said that they are having problems finding the right talent despite rising unemployment as the capital is in the midst of a skills shortage.

According to a survey conducted by the CBI and KPMG, 38 per cent of bosses still said that skills shortages are a problem even though they have eased because of the downturn.

The survey revealed that the hardest hit sectors were transport, energy/manufacturing/construction and hospitality/leisure/retail.

The CBI has said that these results highlight the urgent need to align these schemes more closely to business needs, and the business-led London Skills and Employment Board can play an important role in this.

Nigel Bourne, director of CBI London, said: "The skills shortage remains an Achilles' heel for the capital. Even though jobs are being lost and demand has fallen, London businesses still complain that they cannot match talent to jobs.

"When the upturn comes, this could really slow the capital's recovery, so government training programmes must become more closely matched to business needs."