Thu, 30 May 2013More companies are finding it harder to get the right staff than at any point since the start of the recession - and this is harming their growth prospects, according to global recruitment giant Manpower.

A survey of nearly 40,000 employers globally saw 35% saying they have difficulties in finding staff with the right skills – the highest level since the global recession began. And of these, 54% believe this will have a ‘high’ or ‘medium’ impact on their ability to meet client needs – up from 42% in 2012.

The country’s with the greatest talent shortages are Japan (reported by 85% of employers), Brazil (68%), India (61%), and Turkey and Hong Kong (both 58%). Employers in Ireland and Spain (3%) are the least likely to have skills issues, followed by South Africa (6%), the Netherlands and the Czech Republic (both 9%).

Manpower has also released a whitepaper, ‘The Great Talent Shortage Awakening: Actions to Take for a Sustainable Workforce’, recommending a number of measures to identify and attract untapped talent, creating a culture of talent development and improving collaboration with education providers.

The top four hardest jobs to fill are unchanged between 2012 and 2013:

1. Skilled trade workers
2. Engineers
3. Sales representatives
4. Technicians

The rest of the top 10 list remains the same, albeit with minor changes in the order:
        5.    Accounting/finance staff (up one place)
        6.    Management/executives (up two)
        7.    IT staff (down two)
        8.    Drivers (down one)
        9.    Secretaries, PAs, administrative assistants and office support (up one)
        10.    Labourers (down one)