US Talent Shortage Hits a Record High, With 69% Employers Struggling to Find Workers

The US talent shortage has tripled in the past decade, with the latest ManpowerGroup survey showing 69% of employers in the country struggling to fill up vacant positions in their workplace.

With every business embracing technology to streamline operations, professionals with IT skills have been the hardest to find, says the report. “Technology skills are now the second hardest to find, reflecting today’s new reality that all companies are IT companies.”

Companies are finding it challenging to hire people to carry out functions such as accounting and finance, construction, and customer support.

Therefore, the workforce solutions company has urged employers to become more ‘flexible’ over when and where work gets done, in addition to offering better pay and healthcare incentives, to face the shortage.

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

“Now is the time for employers to differentiate themselves and think differently about what they offer, starting with the opportunity to blend work and home, and creating clear career pathways to in-demand jobs.”

In 2010, the employers claiming to be struggling to find talent accounted for just 14%, today the figure has reached 69%. The company says it interviewed 2,000 US employers and over 1,500 workers for the study.

Today’s workers are looking for the kind of jobs that help them balance work and life, leaving them ample time to maintain mental and physical wellbeing.

“Skilled workers are in control, and companies need to understand people’s priorities to compete,” Frankiewicz added.