Prolonged job vacancies in high skill positions are taking a toll on employee morale and the bottom line, says a recent CareerBuilder’s study; despite high unemployment rates, 38 percent of employers reported they currently have positions for which they can’t find qualified candidates; 34 percent reported that job vacancies have resulted in a lower quality of work due to employees being overworked, and 23 percent cited a loss in revenue.

CareerBuilder’s “Talent Crunch” study explores the challenges associated with the skills deficit and what employers are doing to address it.

The five areas reported to be the most difficult to recruit:

• Engineering – 67 percent
• C-level positions (CEO, CFO, CMO, etc.) – 60 percent
• Information Technology – 60 percent
• Research & Development – 54 percent
• Production – 54 percent

To secure talent for hard-to-fill positions, half of employers of all sizes are planning to hire workers who don’t have experience in their particular industry or field and train them. Thirty-one percent are planning to cross-train current employees while 19 percent are targeting talent from competitors. Nearly two-thirds are willing to stretch incentives such as offering flexible hours (25 percent), higher salary (22 percent) and remote work options (15 percent).

Two-in-five companies (41 percent) reported they currently have programs in place to help alleviate the skills gap including on-the-job training, mentoring, sending employees back to school and other efforts.

The study finds that nearly two-thirds of job seekers (64 percent) knowingly apply for a position for which they don’t possess the required skills; most U.S. job seekers – 77 percent – said they would be willing to take a job in a different field than the one they currently work in. More than half (54 percent) would be open to relocating to a new city or state.