Talent shortages hurting companies’ performance, finds Manpower

More companies are finding it harder to get the right staff than at any point since the start of the recession - and this is harming their growth prospects, according to global recruitment giant Manpower.
Thu, 30 May 2013More companies are finding it harder to get the right staff than at any point since the start of the recession - and this is harming their growth prospects, according to global recruitment giant Manpower.

A survey of nearly 40,000 employers globally saw 35% saying they have difficulties in finding staff with the right skills – the highest level since the global recession began. And of these, 54% believe this will have a ‘high’ or ‘medium’ impact on their ability to meet client needs – up from 42% in 2012.

The country’s with the greatest talent shortages are Japan (reported by 85% of employers), Brazil (68%), India (61%), and Turkey and Hong Kong (both 58%). Employers in Ireland and Spain (3%) are the least likely to have skills issues, followed by South Africa (6%), the Netherlands and the Czech Republic (both 9%).

Manpower has also released a whitepaper, ‘The Great Talent Shortage Awakening: Actions to Take for a Sustainable Workforce’, recommending a number of measures to identify and attract untapped talent, creating a culture of talent development and improving collaboration with education providers.

The top four hardest jobs to fill are unchanged between 2012 and 2013:
  1. Skilled trade workers
  2. Engineers
  3. Sales representatives
  4. Technicians

The rest of the top 10 list remains the same, albeit with minor changes in the order:
        5.    Accounting/finance staff (up one place)
        6.    Management/executives (up two)
        7.    IT staff (down two)
        8.    Drivers (down one)
        9.    Secretaries, PAs, administrative assistants and office support (up one)
        10.    Labourers (down one)

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