Ms Coffey acknowledged that some industries have been hit with a shortage of workers but said the United States and Germany were facing similar challenges.
The department for work and pensions has recruited an extra 13,500 “work coaches” to match people with vacancies and is also helping job seekers gain the skills they need to enter the workplace.
Last week Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey voiced concerns about worker shortages. This came amid anxiety that staff shortages are causing the recovery to falter.
Job vacancies soared past one million for the first time on record in July, and the CBI has called for the Government to make it easier to recruit from abroad people such as butchers, lorry drivers and welders.
Ms Coffey said: “The economy is bouncing back from the pandemic but we know there are some industries that are seeing a shortage of workers. We are not alone here though, with similar challenges being faced by Germany, the USA and many other countries.
“As part of our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, our Jobs Army — which we have boosted by an extra 13,500 Work Coaches — is helping to match job seekers with record numbers of vacancies and help people gain the expertise and confidence they need to move into and progress in work.
“And through our expanded network of jobcentres across the country, we are responding to the needs of recruiting employers. It is not always the case that jobseekers’ skills match what that vacancy needs but we are…
