Three-fourths of staffing specialists say they are struggling with a skills shortage in the industries in which they recruit, according to a recent report from Bullhorn.

The report was based on data from a survey conducted in December 2014 of 1,285 North American recruiting agency professionals.

Engineering and design roles are the hardest for recruiters to fill, with 80% of respondents saying they struggle to find qualified candidates.

Other hard-to-fill roles include light industrial (79% of recruiters say there is a shortage of skilled candidates), professional/specialty/managerial (79%), IT/technical (79%), and finance/accounting (73%).

The government sector has the biggest skills shortage, with 83% of industry recruiters saying they have a hard time finding qualified candidates.

Other industries in which recruiters say there is a dearth of qualified applicants include energy/chemical (80% of industry recruiters say there is a shortage of skilled candidates), manufacturing (79%), finance/insurance (77%), automotive (76%), and technology (76%).

About the research: The report was based on data from a survey conducted in December 2014 of 1,285 North American recruiting agency professionals.