Employers Report Difficulty Finding Talent

U.S. employers are struggling to find available talent more than their global counterparts, one in three (34%) of which are having difficulty filling positions.  

According to the more than 1,300 U.S. employers surveyed, the jobs that are most difficult to fill include Skilled Trades, Sales Representatives and Engineers, all of which have appeared on the U.S. list multiple times in the past. Rounding out the top 10 jobs most difficult to fill are Drivers, Accounting and Finance Staff, IT Staff, Management/Executives, Teachers, Secretaries/Administrative Assistants, and Machinist/Machine Operator.  

According to a press release, the most common reasons employers say they are having trouble filling jobs include candidates looking for more pay than is offered, lack of technical skills, and lack of experience.   

For its global survey ManpowerGroup surveyed almost 40,000 employers across 39 countries and territories. Globally, the three most challenging positions to fill are Technicians, Sales Representatives and Skilled Trades. The reasons most often cited are lack of experience, lack of available applicants and lack of technical skills.   

Among the 39 countries and territories surveyed, employers in Japan (80%), India (67%), and Brazil (57%) are having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs.  

ManpowerGroup also released a Fresh Perspectives Paper, “Manufacturing” Talent for the Human Age, which makes recommendations for how employers should address the challenge of a scarcity of talent in the face of an abundance of available workers.