Manpower has conducted a global study on the shortage of talent worldwide, which shows that it is at the highest level since the beginning of the crisis; more and more employers are encountering difficulties in recruiting qualified staff.
According to the Manpower survey conducted among 40,000 employers worldwide, the global shortage of talent is getting worse, which has a negative impact on company performance and productivity. 35% of employers say they have difficulty finding staff with the right skills, the highest rate since the beginning of the crisis. While 42% of these employers believed that this shortage would have an impact on their ability to meet customer needs in 2012, 54% of them believe so today. Nonetheless, close to one quarter of companies have no intention to consider new ways of combating this shortage.
Some countries more affected than others
The study also reveals that these problems encountered in recruiting skilled employees affect all companies worldwide, but some countries are more affected than others. This is the case for example for Japan (85% of employers admit having difficulty), Brazil (68%), India (61%), Turkey (58%) and Hong Kong (58%). The least affected are Ireland (3%), Spain (3%), South Africa (6%), the Netherlands (9%) and the Czech Republic (9%). Canada is in the middle, with 34% of employers worried about the talent shortage, 9 points more than last year.
Occupations with shortages in Canada
Unsurprisingly, engineers, salespeople and skilled workers are the hardest to recruit. Manpower lists the 10 hardest to fill according to Canadian employers: skilled workers, engineers, executives and managers, salespeople, technicians, drivers, accounting and finance professionals, new technology specialists, teachers and, finally, labourers.