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Manpower

Talent Shortages Continue Despite Global Recession

Thu, 28 May 2009 08:42

Manpower SA has released the results of its fourth annual talent shortage survey, revealing that 35 percent of employers in South Africa and 25 percent of employers in the EMEA region as a whole are continuing to struggle to fill positions available despite the economic crisis.

This is a seven percentage point decline when compared with the 2008 survey and is five percentage points lower than the global average (30 percent).

Over 15,000 employers were interviewed in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom as part of a global survey.

European employers having the most difficulty finding the right talent to fill jobs are those 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%).

“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 Jan Coetzee, MD Manpower SA.

“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 less 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 in South Africa and in the EMEA region in 2009 are (ranked in order):

2009 Hot Jobs in South Africa
1. Engineers
2. Skilled Trades (Artisans)
3. Accounting & finance staff
4. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
5. Management/ Executive

2009 Hot Jobs in EMEA
1. Skilled Trades
2. Sales Representatives
3. Technicians
4. Engineers
5. Drivers
6. Management/Executives
7. Laborers
8. Accounting & Finance Staff
9. IT Staff
10. Mechanics

Here in South Africa, employers are still finding it difficult to find candidates for jobs in Engineering, Accounting & Finance and skilled trades. While compared with survey results from 2008, IT staff has disappeared from the top 10 jobs difficult to fill, Restaurant & Hotel staff is new on the list.

It can be assumed that this increased need is a consequence of the development in the hotel and hospitality sector in the build-up to the World Cup in 2010.

EMEA employers named Skilled Trades as the most difficult position to fill for the third year in succession. Sales representatives, the second most difficult position to fill in this year’s survey, occupied the number six spot in the 2008 poll.

"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. The importance of an organisation’s employer brand will become more critical as companies continue to adjust and align their workforce to prepare for the next cycle,” Coetzee continued.

“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 White Paper, also released by Manpower - having a strong brand as an employer, which accurately reflects what it is like to work in the organisation, will help employers attract and retain the best talent; and therefore enable them to win during these challenging times and achieve their growth plans.

“We believe that employer brands live across the business, from CEO to frontline employees, and are a vital tool in retaining and attracting talent to core business areas. Building a strong brand has become increasingly relevant and necessary to organisations during the current global recession, and is a way in which to help companies advance towards achieving their business goals,” concluded Coetzee.

In 2009, Manpower surveyed nearly 39,000 employers across 33 countries and territories as a follow-up to its surveys in the three years previous.

According to the Talent Shortage Survey 2009, the top three positions employers globally are having most trouble filling remain unchanged from the previous year: skilled manual trades, sales representatives and technicians (which are technical workers in the areas of production/operations, engineering and maintenance).