Top 10 jobs employers are having difficulty filling in 2012

ManpowerGroup surveyed nearly 40,000 employers across 41 countries and territories as part of its annual Talent Shortage Survey. Globally, 34 percent of employers say they are having difficulty filling positions, the three most challenging of which are Skilled Trades, Engineers and Sales Representatives. The reasons most often cited are lack […]

ManpowerGroup surveyed nearly 40,000 employers across 41 countries and territories as part of its annual Talent Shortage Survey. Globally, 34 percent of employers say they are having difficulty filling positions, the three most challenging of which are Skilled Trades, Engineers and Sales Representatives. The reasons most often cited are lack of available applicants and lack of technical skills. Employers are having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs in Japan (81 percent), Brazil (71 percent) and Bulgaria (51 percent).

GLOBAL: TOP 10 JOBS EMPLOYERS ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY FILLING

  1. Skilled Trades Workers
  2. Engineers
  3. Sales Representatives
  4. Technicians
  5. IT Staff
  6. Accounting & Finance Staff
  7. Drivers
  8. Management/Executives
  9. Laborers
  10. Secretaries, PAs, Administrative Assistant

Worldwide, talent shortages are most acute in the Asia Pacific region, with particular difficulties faced by employers in Japan, where an aging workforce is exacerbating the issue. Among a subset of this region’s employers who are most concerned about inadequate talent supply, soft skills deficits among IT and Engineering candidates are a current challenge. Meanwhile, hiring activity is least likely to be affected by talent shortages in Ireland (2%), the Netherlands (7%), Spain (9%) and South Africa (10%).

Full results of ManpowerGroup’s seventh annual Talent Shortage Survey and the Fresh Perspectives Paper, “Break the Crisis and Complacency Cycle: Get Ahead of the Global Talent Shortage”, can be found at http://www.manpowergroup.us/campaigns/talent-shortage-2012.

About Jacco Valkenburg

Jacco Valkenburg is an international recruitment expert, trainer and author (5 books). He has more than 20 years experience in global recruitment strategies and execution spanning numerous countries for leading companies. As founder of Recruiter University and Recruit2 he provides companies with recruitment training and consultancy. His mission is helping companies ‘from good to great staffing’.

5 Comments

  1. Anthony

    I’m obviously looking in the wrong places. I have an undergraduate degree in Engineering and a Masters of Information Systems Management and I’m having difficulty securing employment.

  2. Michael Lustig

    Of course, there is plenty of jobs in skilled trades – for years children have been told that you need a college DEGREE to achieve, and no, going to school for a trade is not going to cut it . . . problem is, I have a Juris Doctorate, and have enough difficulties trying to practice law (because it is now more about managing a business, which means if you do not have a staff, you’re screwed – and I am a solo)- but I don’t have managerial or executive skills as far as I can tell.

  3. Sarah

    It also doesn’t help that everyone wants 3-5 years experience. How do we get experience when nobody will hire us because we have no experience?

  4. Jacco,
    I agree with your sentiment, my company recruits in North Asia (Tokyo, China, Korea) and when you have a homogeneous society where English is not the predominant language, it makes it difficult to recruit talent for MNC`s expanding to these regions.

    Coupled with the fact that access to Social Media sites, especially for business, is a fraction of what it is in the West.

    Certainly makes it difficult for employers to find the right people.

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