British companies are facing up to gaps between the demand for workplace performance information and the amount of data available, according to new research.

The UK Talent Intelligence Survey by Taleo – a firm that claims to have three million users assessing 175 million candidates – looks at the value that both employers and those in charge of HR strategy and practice place on talent information and access to such details.

It revealed that 91 per cent of bosses want to have knowledge of competency and skills gaps among their staff, but 55 per cent can obtain reliable reports in this area.

In addition, 90 per cent claimed that having information on how the professional goals of an employee match up against those of their organisation is vital, while just 57 per cent said they were able to obtain such data.

Alice Snell, vice-president of Taleo, said: “Having accurate and accessible information on each employee within a business is a vital part of developing a talent strategy to support the business’s wider goals.”