Narayan AmmachchiAmerican businesses are continuing to face a severe talent shortage, with one in three U.S. employers having trouble filling positions, according to ManpowerGroup’s annual talent survey.
The study reveals that 32% of U.S. employers report difficulties filling job vacancies, down slightly from 40% in 2014. Although as many 48% of U.S. executives surveyed acknowledged that talent shortages would negatively affect their business, only a few appeared to be devising strategies to address the problem.
One in five U.S. employers are still not pursuing strategies to overcome talent shortages. In a similar survey conducted last year, only 13% of U.S. employers reported they were not pursuing strategies to overcome talent shortages.
Things are not rosy globally, either. In the survey, 68% of Peruvian employers and 61% Brazilian employers claimed to be facing similar issues. In Japan, around two in three employers reported difficulty in filling jobs.
“Talent shortages are real and are not going away,” said Kip Wright, senior vice president, Manpower North America. “Despite impacts to competitiveness and productivity, our research shows fewer employers are trying to solve the problem through better talent strategies.”
As the struggle to find the right talent continues, analysts say, employers might resort to relying heavily on their best workers to drive their businesses forward. The report says the shortage in talent is forcing many employers to overwork their existing staff to and spend more money on compensation.
Although there is a lack of engineers or technicians, the hardest jobs to fill in the United States are teachers and drivers.
When asked why they are struggling to fill certain jobs, employers cite a lack of applicants (33%), lack of experience (19%) and lack of technical competencies or hard skills (17%). Technical competencies employers seek include industry-specific professional qualifications (7%) and trade certifications (7%).
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