Employers fear they will be unable to recruit students with the skills they need as the economic recovery kicks in, a new survey【C1】______.

Nearly half of the organisations told researchers they were already struggling to find【C2】___with skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), 【C3】even more companies expect to experience【C4】___of employees with STEM skills in the next three years.

The Confederation of British Industry【C5】___694 businesses and organisations across the public and【C6】___sectors, which together employ 2.4 million people.

Half are【C7】___they will not be able to fill graduate posts in the coming years, while a third said they would not be able to【C8】___enough employees with the right A-level skills.

“【C9】___we move further into recovery and businesses plan【C10】growth, the demand for people with high-quality skills and qualifications will【C11】.” said Richard Lambert, Director General, CBI. “Firms say it is already hard to find people with the right【C12】or engineering skills. The new government must make it a top【C13】to encourage more young people to study science-related【C14】___.”

The survey found that young people would improve their job prospects【C15】___they studied business, maths, English and physics or chemistry at A-level. The A-levels that employers 【C16】least are psychology and sociology. And while many employers don’t insist on a【C17】___degree subject, a third prefer to hire those with a STEM-related subject.

The research【C18】___worries about the lack of progress in improving basic skills in the UK【C19】. Half of the employers expressed worries about employees’ basic literacy and numeracy (计算) skills, while the biggest problem is with IT skills, 【C20】___two-thirds reported concerns.

【C4】