According to a new survey, companies across the globe are suffering from a talent shortage. Many employers are citing skilled trades as the roles that are hardest to fill, for the seventh consecutive year. As talent shortages worsen, companies are increasingly turning to training and development to fill talent gaps and upskill employees.
Nearly half (46%) of U.S. employers report difficulties filling jobs due to lack of available talent, a significant increase from 32% reported in 2015. This is according to the latest Talent Shortage Survey, released by ManpowerGroup. For the seventh consecutive year, skilled trades positions remain the hardest to fill in the United States, followed by drivers, sales representatives, teachers, and restaurant and hotel staff.
As skills shortages escalate and the demand for talent intensifies, many employers are looking inside their own organizations for solutions, with nearly half (48%) of U.S. employers choosing to upskill their own people. This represents a significant jump from the ManpowerGroup’s 2015 survey, when just 12% were using training and development as a solution.
“Low unemployment paired with shorter skills cycles due to the speed of technological change means employers across the United States are struggling to fill positions. We see this particularly in industries like manufacturing, construction, transportation, and education,” said Kip Wright, senior vice president of Manpower North America—in a press release. “When the talent isn’t available, organizations need to turn to training and developing their own people—and in many cases this means first identifying the skills that will be required in increasingly digital industries, like manufacturing. That’s why we’re working with organizations like the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) to map future skills needs and develop tomorrow’s talent.”
Global Findings
Hiring managers report the most severe talent shortage in Japan (86%). Nearly three in four employers report difficulty filling jobs in both Taiwan (73%) and Romania (72%), while talent shortages are an issue for 69% of employers in Hong Kong and 66% in Turkey.
Of the 42,300 global employers surveyed, the hardest jobs to fill remain skilled trade workers for the fifth consecutive year. Sales representatives, engineers, technicians, and drivers all slip one ranking, 3rd through 6th respectively, and office support staff drops two places to 10th. Production and machine operators also become harder roles to fill as they move from 10th to 9th, when compared with 2015.
The infographic below highlights more key findings from this survey. For more details on the talent shortages around the world, visit ManpowerGroup’s Talent Shortage web page.
