London, May 9 (IANS): UK employers are struggling to fill vacancies after the sharpest drop for over a year in the number of available candidates, according to a report issued on Tuesday.

Even before the potential restrictions on immigrants once Britain exits the European Union (EU), firms are reporting skills shortages across a range of more than 60 roles, including engineers, IT specialists, care workers and accountants, the UK-based Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said in the report.

The REC found vacancies continued to rise in April for permanent and temporary staff, albeit at a softer pace than in March, reaching their weakest levels for 16 months, The Guardian reported.

"Demand for staff is growing within all sectors and all regions of the UK, but there are fewer and fewer people available to fill the vacancies," REC CEO Kevin Green said.

"We have the lowest unemployment rate since 2005 and people already in work are becoming more hesitant about moving jobs amid Brexit uncertainty. Meanwhile, the weakening pound and lack of clarity about future immigration rules is putting off some EU nationals from taking up roles in the UK."