Study: 69% of employers struggling to hire 'appropriately skilled' workers

While COVID-19 has transformed the world of work for the better in some ways – for instance, it has placed a heightened focus on employee health and wellbeing – the pandemic and associated digital transformation have also highlighted some worrying workplace gaps, particularly regarding talent and skills.

Research by workplace solution provider ManpowerGroup found that seven in 10 employers are having difficulty hiring appropriately skilled workers. The problems are most acute in logistics, manufacturing, IT, sales, and marketing.

ManpowerGroup surveyed 42,000 employers in 43 countries and found that 69% were struggling to hire those with the right blend of technical skills and human strengths – such as accountability, reliability, resilience, and adaptability.

This is particularly concerning given that of the 33% of employers who had accelerated digitalization over the past year, 86% were planning to increase or maintain their hiring momentum in the future.

ManpowerGroup chairman and CEO Jonas Prising commented: “Companies have increasingly specific skills needs as transformation accelerates, making the need to find new ways to close the inequity gaps that exist at the intersection of race, gender, education, and economic status even more urgent.”

He continued there is a need to help “people to pre-skill, upskill and reskill for in-demand roles to create a better workplace where everyone is able to have a more equitable share of prosperity."He continued there is a need to help “people to pre-skill, upskill and reskill for in-demand roles to create a better workplace where everyone is able to have a more equitable share of prosperity."

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