Companies are Having Trouble Finding Qualified Employees to Fill Jobs

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the current employment market is coming up short when it comes to talent. The shortage is indicative of a shift in culture and expectations between employers and prospective employees.

According to HR Dive’s Valerie Bolden-Barret, the ManPower Group released a study last month in which 2,000 US employers and 1,500 workers were surveyed.  The results indicate that the majority of companies and organizations are having a tough time filling open positions and that in the last 10 years, the shortage of skilled workers has tripled.

ManpowerGroup North America President Becky Frankiewicz said in a statement, “As U.S. employers face the highest skills shortages in over a decade, the relationship between employer and employee is shifting.” 

Her recommendation for companies is to take a good, hard look at what they are offering to potential new hires. Companies need to make sure that they offer perks that resonate with present-day talent. These benefits are essentially cultural and may include blending work and personal life. It is also important to provide a clear pathway for advancement so that prospective employees can land in-demand jobs. Companies need to match their hiring goals with what prospective employees envision as their future work environment.

According to Bolden-Barret, it isn’t just employers in the US who are feeling the pinch of the talent shortage. Some 36 out of 44 countries are also reporting that they are having similar issues when finding qualified workers to fill open positions.