“Manufacturing” talent for the human age

Manpower Group’s new “Fresh Perspectives Paper,” “Manufacturing” Talent for the Human Age, makes recommendations for how employers should address this challenge of a scarcity of talent in the face of an abundance of available workers, including a holistic workforce strategy, updating work models and people practices to reflect the realities of the 21st century and collaborating with governments, academia and individuals.

“The tremendous spike in U.S. employers that are having difficulty filling positions tells us that we’re in the thick of the much-anticipated global talent mismatch,” said Jonas Prising, Manpower Group president of the Americas. “As we know from the persistently high unemployment rate, job seekers are plentiful, but employers are engaged in an ongoing struggle to fill positions. Ultimately, the underlying reason for this gap between available talent and desired talent is simple: jobs have structurally changed over time, and the skills needed to fulfill these roles have too. While talent cannot be ‘manufactured’ in the short term, a robust workforce strategy will ensure that companies can find the people to support their business strategy, and that employees have the opportunity to pursue meaningful career paths.”

According to the Talent Shortage Survey, employers are already using a range of strategies to overcome the difficulties they face in finding the right talent, at the right time, in the right place.

They realize the importance of retaining mission-critical talent and are more focused on staff retention, taking a “one size fits one” approach to training and development, tailoring it to the individual and helping to build the specific skills needed for business growth. In addition, employers are beginning to see the benefits of using new or innovative recruitment strategies, and are increasingly broadening their talent search outside of their local region.

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