Manpower survey shows worldwide "talent shortage"

I would not consider 4.7% unemployment in the US high.

Bill

from Reuters


Manpower survey shows worldwide "talent shortage"
Mon Feb 20, 6:06 PM ET

Employers are having difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs despite
high unemployment in Europe and the United States, a survey by U.S.-based
staffing firm Manpower (NYSE:MAN - news) showed on Tuesday.

The survey conducted late in January showed that 40 percent of nearly 33,000
employers in 23 countries across the world were struggling to find qualified
job candidates.

"The talent shortage is becoming a reality for a larger number of employers
around the world," Manpower's CEO and Chairman Jeffrey Joerres said in a
statement.

"Across North America and Asia, the top three talent shortages are identical -
sales representatives rank number one, followed by engineers and technicians,"
Joerres said.

"Employers are telling us that they are not just looking for bodies to fill
sales jobs, they want experienced sales people who know their respective
industries and can drive revenues."

Like its Swiss rival Adecco (ADEN.VX), Manpower is looking to increase profits
by emphasizing higher-margin specialty staffing services in areas such as
engineering and accounting -- areas that the survey highlighted as suffering
from the talent shortage.

Joerres said that in 10 years' time, many businesses would fail because they
had not planned ahead for the talent shortage and would be unable to find the
people they need to run their businesses.

"This is not a cyclical trend, as we have seen in the past, this time the
talent crunch is for real, and it's going to last for decades," he added.

Recruitment firms have benefited from global trends such as outsourcing and
better economic growth worldwide.

In an effort to reorganize the company, Manpower refreshed its brand and
streamlined its activities from over 200 brands down to five that now
represent its total service offering.

The brands are Manpower, manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and
Right Management


.

Quantcast