Improving Employability of the U.S. Workforce Is a Shared Responsibility, ManpowerGroup Advises, As Bureau of Labor Reports Steady Jobless Rate

Companies Must Stay Focused on Advancing Workers' Overall Capabilities; Individuals Must Proactively Develop Their Skills

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ManpowerGroup

Jun 01, 2012, 02:22 ET

MILWAUKEE, June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, advises both employers and individuals to change their mindsets about the hiring process, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today reported that the overall jobless rate ticked up to 8.2 percent in May, and that the U.S. private sector added only 69,000 new jobs last month. Jobs were added in health care, transportation and warehousing, wholesale trade and manufacturing. BLS revised its March private sector figure from 154,000 to 143,000 and its April figure from 115,000 to 77,000.

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While companies are hiring, the pace of job creation is slowing compared to figures at the start of the year. An average of 226,000 jobs were added each month last quarter in the United States.

According to ManpowerGroup's 2012 Talent Shortage Survey results released last week, one-third (34%) of employers globally identify a lack of available skilled talent to their organizations. At same time, 56% of employers indicate unfilled positions are expected to have little or no impact on key constituents, such as customers and investors. This figure is up from 36% last year.

"Hiring will always be based on demand for products and services, but economic stagnation is no reason to avoid the critical need to develop and implement an aggressive strategy for recruiting and development talent," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO. "Demand slowed in second quarter in the U.S., but it didn't dry up. Pacifism is not an effective approach to any aspect of business, particularly the development of a company's talent, the absolute competitive advantage required to win in today's Human Age."

According to ManpowerGroup's 2012 results, 49% of U.S. employers struggle to fill mission-critical positions. Skilled trades, engineering and IT positions continue to place on this list year after year.

U.S. Hardest Jobs to Fill in 2012

Skilled Trades
Engineers
IT Staff
Sales Representatives
Accounting & Finance Staff
Drivers
Mechanics
Nurses
Machinists/Machine Operators
Teachers

As today's slow economic recovery fosters a state of complacency, misguided employers have learned to do more with fewer workers, but are failing to prepare a new generation of workers to fill roles performed workers who are ready to retire. When demand picks up, this approach is likely to stifle growth opportunities.

"Solving the talent mismatch requires effort from everyone who has a vested interest in the workforce," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup President of the Americas and Chairman of Junior Achievement USA. "Employers and individuals in particular need to adopt a sense of urgency toward addressing it. Candidates can aggressively pursue training options and promote their efforts through employability profiles."

Read ManpowerGroup's thought leadership on employability profiles, which are intended to supplement traditional resumes by documenting an individual's progress against specific goals: Hire and Retain the Best with Success Mapping: New Models for Unlocking Human Potential.

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,800 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined — because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, and was once again the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. This concept of talentism as the new capitalism continues to resonate and was echoed as a core theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the ManpowerGroup World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success.

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj. Joerres is one of only six Fortune 500 CEOs who leverages a Twitter account to get his message out.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup