One third of employers see skills shortage: ManpowerGroup

One in three employers worldwide is experiencing difficulty filling vacancies due to lack of available talent despite an over-supply of available workers, staffing company ManpowerGroup said Thursday.

In its sixth annual Talent Shortage Survey, the U.S.-based company said 90 percent of employers across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa have problems filling critical positions, citing a lack of necessary skills, experience and qualifications.

“As the chaos and complexity of the post-recession era have irrevocably changed the way the world works, employers can no longer solely rely on a ‘just in time’ approach to hiring, expecting ‘on-demand’ talent to be available wherever and whenever they need it,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO.

Employers in Brazil and Argentina are having the most difficulty finding staff. Employers in the U.S. reported a significantly increased difficulty, from 14 percent in 2010 to 52 percent in 2011.

A total of 45 percent of Asia Pacific employers experienced difficulty, representing a 4 percent increase from last year’s response. The region especially reported a shortage of skilled sales representatives, with this position remaining the most difficult to fill for the sixth consecutive year.

The CEO argued that manufacturing talent is an important strategy for corporations to avert a long-term employability crisis.

“It would be unthinkable for a company to plot its growth strategy without identifying a sustainable supply of raw materials, so employers must ensure they have the talent in place to support their business goals,” Joerres said.

A separate paper from ManpowerGroup recommended employers look at their recruitment methods and make sure that candidates have kept pace with the evolving skills needed to perform the jobs as descriptions often do not accurately reflect what they are actually looking for.

By Cynthia J. Kim (cynthiak@heraldcorp.com)