Manpower Inc. Points to Education as Solution to Boost Employment

MILWAUKEE, Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), world leader in innovative workforce solutions, will tomorrow participate in the CNBC live televised debate at the World Economic Forum 2011 Annual Meeting in Davos titled "The Future of Employment – The West isn't Working," where high-profile thought leaders will suggest actions to stem the tide of jobs losses. Globally, 30 million jobs have been lost since 2007, three-quarters of which have been from advanced economies. The debate will focus on what business, government and education can do to boost jobs in the face of a growing talent mismatch, global power shifts and the threat of a lost generation of workers.

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Jeffrey A. Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO, will argue in favor of the motion "Education is Failing Industry," in part two of the debate and will be challenged by Amy Gutmann, President of the University of Pennsylvania. Joerres will warn that, despite continuing high unemployment, the disparity between the skills taught by education institutions and those needed by business means western countries will find it increasingly difficult to source the critical talent they need.

"The pace of business and the pace of learning in the university systems have always been a point of contention and mismatch, but this mismatch now is more dramatic than ever before," said Joerres. "The education system needs to instill attributes such as intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning, the qualities that make us human, at a young age because there are disruptions that will occur more frequently in the future. Individuals must have the agility in their learning, and there needs to be agility in the system to teach in order to compensate for those disruptions."

The debate will be moderated by CNBC's Maria Bartiromo and challengers include Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries; Arianna Huffington, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post; and Phillip Jennings, General Secretary, UNI Global Union. Front Row VIPs include Peter Loscher, President & CEO, Siemens AG; Min Zhu, Special Advisor, IMF; and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon.

As talent replaces capital as the key competitive differentiator, the working age population in most markets shrinks, and emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil become the new global powerhouse, it is now essential to plug the gap between education and industry. Therefore, Manpower recommends that more emphasis should be placed on high-quality problem-solving education and taking "on the job" degrees, making these qualifications more aligned to the needs of their employer.

Manpower Inc. is proud to be a strategic partner of the World Economic Forum 2011 Annual Meeting. Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO; David Arkless, Manpower Inc. President of Corporate and Government Affairs; Francoise Gri, Manpower Inc. President of Southern Europe; and Jonas Prising, Manpower Inc. President of the Americas, are all participating in high-profile panels at this year's annual forum. Manpower partners with WEF on several initiatives, and in 2010, Joerres co-chaired the World Economic Forum on Europe meeting, Arkless is Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Skills & Talent Mobility. For more information about Manpower's presence at the World Economic Forum 2011 Annual Meeting, go to: www.manpower.com/press/wef2011.cfm. Joerres will also be sharing regular insight and expertise via Twitter on events in Davos and transformational implications for the world of work. Follow Joerres' tweets at www.twitter.com/manpowerceo

About Manpower Inc.

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), world leader in innovative workforce solutions; creates and delivers services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. With over 62 years' experience, Manpower offers employers a range of solutions and services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's worldwide network of 4,000 offices in 82 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management. More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

SOURCE Manpower Inc.