Top 10 Jobs That Employers Are Having Difficulty Filling

Posted on 28. May, 2009 by ResumeBear in Job Trends, Press Release, Research

Manpower Inc. today released the results of its fourth annual talent
shortage survey, revealing that 30 percent of employers across the
globe continue to struggle to fill positions available despite the
global economic downturn.

According to Manpower's 2009 Talent Shortage
Survey, the top five positions employers are having most trouble
filling globally remain unchanged from 2008: skilled manual trades
people, sales representatives, technicians (technical workers in the
areas of production/operations, engineering and maintenance), engineers
and management/executives. Manpower surveyed nearly 39,000 employers
across 33 countries and territories to gauge employers' ability to find
the talent they need.

"Despite high levels of unemployment in many
markets, this year's talent survey suggests a mismatch between the type
of individuals available for work and the specific skills that
employers are looking for," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman and CEO
of Manpower Inc. "In an environment where companies are pressured to
shift their mindset to think more strategically and creatively about
how to do more with less, the same approach is being applied to how
they manage their talent. Employers are looking for ways to accelerate
their business strategy with fewer people. It's this specificity of
skills required in the individuals that employers are now seeking that
is creating a sense of talent shortage amidst an overabundant pool of
available workers. This conundrum is frustrating both employers and
individuals."

The top 10 jobs that employers are having
difficulty filling across the 33 countries and territories in 2009
compared to 2008 are (ranked in order):

The complete results of Manpower's global talent shortage survey can be viewed below.

"The current economic downturn is masking mega
trends such as demographic shifts and underlying talent shortages that
are impacting the way companies and individuals view work around the
world. Talent management strategies are no longer a one size fits all,"
said Joerres. "Through our career management business services at Right
Management, we are finding that today's workforce strategy is being
managed by legacy mindsets and leadership philosophies. Employers need
to revisit their talent assessment process to focus on leadership
qualities, as possessing the technical or functional skill sets for a
job is the price of admission; but to be successful in a given role,
it's the individuals that also have a flexible and collaborative
mindset to work across countries and cultures that get the job.

"The importance of an organization's employer
brand will become more critical as companies continue to adjust and
align their workforce to prepare for the next cycle," added Joerres.
"As the talent crunch worsens, training and development will be key for
employers to keep and upskill the talent that they have. This downturn
signifies how an agile workforce strategy is required to attract and
retain the talent that a company needs in order to achieve its business
strategy."

According to the Global Talent Crunch - Why
Employer Branding Matters Now, paper also released by Manpower today, a
strong employer brand will help organizations attract and retain the
best talent; and therefore enable them to win during these challenging
times and achieve their growth plans.

Employers having the most difficulty finding
the right people to fill jobs are those in Romania (62%), Taiwan (62%),
Peru (56%), Japan (55%), Australia (49%), Costa Rica (48%) and Poland
(48%). The talent shortage appears to be least problematic in Ireland
(5%), Spain (8%), the United Kingdom (11%), China (15%) and the Czech
Republic (17%).

Compared to 2008, employers are reporting that
talent shortages are considerably less pervasive in Hong Kong (down 24
percentage points), Norway (down 21 percentage points), the Czech
Republic and Singapore (each down 20 percentage points) and Spain (down
19 percentage points).

Americas

In the Americas, the survey shows that 36
percent of the region's employers are having difficulty filling
positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their
markets. This is an increase of eight percentage points when compared
to the 2008 survey and is six percentage points greater than the global
average.

Vacancies for technicians are the most
difficult to fill in the Americas for the second year in succession.
After not appearing among the Top 10 hard-to-fill positions in the 2008
survey, employers are identifying Accounting & Finance positions as
the third most difficult to fill.

Asia Pacific

Talent shortages in Asia Pacific mirror those
of the rest of the world, with 32 percent of the region's employers
indicating they are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack
of suitable talent in their markets. This is a slight one percentage point increase when compared to the 2008 survey.

Employers having the most difficulty finding
the right talent to fill jobs are those in Taiwan (62%), Japan (55%),
Australia (49%) and New Zealand (39%). The talent shortage appears to
be least problematic in China (15%) and India (20%).

There remains a clear talent shortage of
skilled sales representatives in Asia Pacific, as this job remains the
most difficult to fill for the fourth year in succession. Adding to
this, skilled trade vacancies have become increasingly difficult to
fill, moving from eighth in 2006, to fifth in 2007, fourth in 2008, and
second in this year's survey.

Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

Across the 17 countries surveyed in EMEA -
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom - 25 percent of the region's
employers report having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of
suitable talent available in their markets. This is a seven percentage
point decline when compared to the 2008 survey and is five percentage
points lower than the global average.

Those having the most difficulty finding the
right talent to fill jobs are in Romania (62%), Poland (48%), Greece
(37%) and Switzerland (36%). The talent shortage appears to be least
problematic in Ireland (5%), Spain (8%) and the United Kingdom (11%).

EMEA employers named Skilled Trades as the most
difficult position to fill for the third year in succession followed by
sales representatives, who featured at the number six spot in the 2008
poll.

To view the entire Manpower Whitepaper on the Global Talent Crunch and Why Employer Branding Matters Now - click here.

Source  Manpower Inc.