We’ve all heard a talent shortage exists. However, do the shortages vary around the world? A 2011 Survey by Manpower answers that question. In January 2011, 39,641 employer interviews were conducted either by telephone or collected online in three areas of the world – the Americas, in Asia Pacific, and in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). My post today will provide an overview of the findings. I encourage you to review the survey results in more detail.
% of Employers Having Difficulty Filling Jobs Due to Lack of Available Talent
- Americas – 37%
- Asia Pacific – 45%
- EMEA – 26%
The percentage for each region increased over 2010 by either 3% or 4%; the percentage for both the Americas and Asia Pacific surpassed the global average of 34%.
Top 3 Countries by Area with Difficulty Filling Jobs Due to Lack of Available Talent
Americas
Brazil – 57%
USA – 52%
Argentina – 51%
Asia Pacific
Japan – 80%
India – 67%
Australia – 54%
EMEA
Romania – 53%
Turkey – 48%
Switzerland – 46%
Top 10 Jobs Employers Are Having Difficulty Filling
The following are the professional / technical positions in alphabetical order that were listed in the Top 10 by employers.
Americas, Asia Pacific, and EMEA
Engineers
Management / Executives
Sales Reps
Americas and Asia Pacific Only
Accounting / Finance Staff
Asia Pacific Only
IT Staff
Research (R&D)
Sales Managers
While this information is interesting, is it important? In other words, who cares? Employers believe key stakeholders (customers, investors, etc.) care and are affected negatively by this talent shortage. More than half of the employers surveyed (57% global average) responded that there was a high or medium impact on key stakeholders. The following shows the percentage total of high and medium impact on key stakeholders by area:
Americas – 61%
Asia Pacific – 54%
EMEA – 57%
What impact does this lack of talent have on independent recruiters? While many exist, I suggest the following:
- As an independent recruiter, be willing to work with employers outside of your local area.
- Employers unwilling to work with recruiters during the past four years may be more willing now to seek the professional assistance of an independent recruiter.
- If you are focused on one niche only, consider changing your niche or adding to your current niche based upon the “Difficult to Fill Jobs” listed earlier in this post.
- Develop a recruiter networking group of trusted trading partners around the world to assist you with filling difficult jobs and placing candidates who can’t find a job locally.
What other impacts do you see as a result of this survey or from your experience as an independent recruiter?