Manpower is pleased to announce the results of our third annual Hardest Jobs to Fill Survey and the updated publication of our Confronting the Talent Crunch: 2008 white paper.

Survey Results

The Top 10 Talent Shortages, as reported by U.S. employers, are:

1. Engineers
2. Machinists/Machine Operators (10)*
3. Skilled Manual Trades
4. Technicians (4)
5. Sales Representatives (1)
6. Accounting & Finance Staff (8)
7. Mechanics (3)
8. Laborers (9)
9. IT Staff
10. Production Operators

*Rank in 2007 Top 10 Talent Shortages

Other Compelling Facts

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a shortfall of 10 million workers by 2010
• The BLS also reports that 120,000 Americans leave their jobs every day.
• 22% of U.S. employers have trouble finding the right people, according to our survey.
• According to McKinsey & Company, companies using the best talent-management practices outperform their industry’s return to shareholders by a remarkable 22%.

What Does All This Mean?

It’s pretty simple . . .

“From our research it is clear that across the country employers are experiencing a mismatch between the talent their businesses need and the skills and abilities potential employees possess.”  Jonas Prising, President of Manpower North America 

What Should Employers Do?

Short-term recommendations include:

• honing attraction and retention strategies
• investigating job redesign
• making flexible use of available talent
• tapping into underemployed sources
• prolonging working life
• promoting inclusivity

Longer-term recommendations include:

• investing in training and development
• facilitating re-skilling and up-skilling
• enhancing links with schools
• developing closer ties to appropriate not-for-profits

Want More?

Click here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 6:33 am and is filed under Employment Law News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.