The study, by staffing services giant Manpower Group, found that 34 per cent of employers around the world report trouble filling jobs because of a lack of available talent. The percentage is unchanged from 2011 but up from the prior three years.
However, most of the employers — 56 per cent — say that unfilled jobs are likely to have little or on no impact on customers and investors. That is up from 36 per cent who said so a year ago.
Talent shortages persist despite high unemployment in many economies, especially among young people. Employers are more comfortable conducting business in an environment of talent shortages and remain reluctant to add workers while memories of recession are fresh, according to Manpower.
“Leaving positions unfilled may be a short-term fix, but it’s a short-sighted and unsustainable approach to addressing talent shortage.” Manpower Chief Executive Jeff Joerres said.
The top reasons for not filling jobs include a lack of available applicants, too few hard skills, such as speaking a foreign language among those who do apply and a lack of experience. Smaller numbers of employers complained about deficiencies in applicants’ soft skills, such as showing too little enthusiasm. Manpower polled 40,000 employers in 41 countries and territories.
Tokyo looking forward for help
Educational systems around the world are emphasising four-year university educations, while allowing vocational and technical programmes to decline. As fewer young people pursue technical educations and older skilled workers retire, such shortages are likely to persist, the study predicts.Other in-demand jobs in 2012 are sales representatives, technicians, drivers, labourers and information technology staff. Accounting and finance workers, chiefs and managers round out the top 10.
Employers in Japan were the most likely to say that they are having trouble finding staff, followed by those in Brazil, Bulgaria, Australia and the United States, were 49 per cent report difficulty, down from 52 per cent in 2011. — Agency
