Employers on 'talent shortages' (40% can't find "qualified candidates")

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Worldwide 'talent shortage' seen by employers
Survey shows that 40% of companies looking for workers having trouble finding qualified candidates.
February 21, 2006: 5:51 AM EST

ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) - Employers are having difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs despite high unemployment in Europe and the United States, a survey by U.S.-based staffing firm Manpower showed Tuesday.

The survey conducted late in January showed that 40 percent of nearly 33,000 employers in 23 countries across the world were struggling to find qualified job candidates.

"The talent shortage is becoming a reality for a larger number of employers around the world," Manpower's CEO and Chairman Jeffrey Joerres said in a statement.

"Across North America and Asia, the top three talent shortages are identical - sales representatives rank number one, followed by engineers and technicians," Joerres said. "Employers are telling us that they are not just looking for bodies to fill sales jobs, they want experienced sales people who know their respective industries and can drive revenues."

http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/21/news/international/jobs_manpower.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

[SmokingJacket]

1. So they'll have to cough up some money and train people.

I've been looking for a job for a long time, and all half-way decent jobs want five years experience or something - unrealistic expectations.

Also, they want these incredibly experienced people to accept entry-level wages.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. I heard you there!

Shoot, the last few times I was unemployed, I went to a temp agency, did 1-3 short term assignments for decent pay, and was offered permanent positions. This time? They want to send me out to min. wage sales or telemarketing postitions. Nothing else. :(

[HereSince1628]

6. They'd rather go out of business than internalize training costs.

That would reverse a near 50 year trend of placing the burden of training costs on the employee.

[Skidmore]

8. They set the job criteria high so they won't have to

1) pay people above entry level compensation at a fair wage
2) train people to do the jobs.

Businesses are sucking the life out of workers all over the world.

[Katherine Brengle]

18. Exactly--you can't get experience if no one will hire you without

experience. One of the great catch 22s of our modern technological society.

Life is sh*t.

[TahitiNut]

29. Worse, they want brand-name "skills" ... patent medicines and magicians.

This is particularly prevalent in various computer-related positions. Managers, with little or no hands-on experience in information systems, sit and get sunshine blown up their butts by sales people from Oracle or SAP (or whatever) and buy a "solution" from the hucksters. (Yes, they sell "solutions" not software.) The management then tosses some abomination (with major costs, mostly in paying the vendor) over the wall to their technical staff and saddles them with unreasonable expectations. (It's like buying pretty shoes and then trying to force the person's foot to fit the shoes.) When this inevitably results in all kinds of implementation and operational problems, somebody (always) identifies the 'problem' as one of not having people experienced in implementing the vendor's software.

Out go the want ads - "experienced in Snake Oil Software fitting to widget operations!" In come the fraudulent and inflated resumes - people whose 'careers' are based on attending some vendor seminar and then proclaiming themselves 'experienced.' They come in and immediately go to work finding internal technical staff members upon whose shoulders they'll stand - no matter how deep the water gets.

I've seen this scenario played out more times than I can count. No matter how much one attempts to educate such 'management' in specifying the operational requirements and building an organization that deals in meeting requirements instead of buying canned 'solutions' (the neighbor's prescription meds), the arrogant management people who lack hand-on experience repeatedly pretend that the "power of the purchase order" will shortcut the kind of mundane detail needed in every case.

[Bob3]

2. translation - can't find workers at the price they are willing to pay

Also I find is suspicious that engineers and technicians are mentioned since outsourcing is hitting these fields hard.

[LostinVA]

4. I thought that was weird, too.

[Bozita]

13. imho, you're right on both points

[Boojatta]

16. Did they mention child care workers or do they think no talent is required

to do that kind of work?

[porphyrian]

5. There is no "talent shortage," just greed and unreal expectations.

The fucking corporations don't understand why they can't employ slave labor at every level of their business structure except the executive, which they want to enjoy large annual raises, while continuously providing gains for their stock owners. Perhaps the strategy of firing workers to raise stock value wasn't a good long term tactic to employ, not that Wall Street has ever given a shit about the long term.

[TahitiNut]

27. "Talent" is hired to do as they're told - not to give advice.

The era of 9::1-ism is in full force. Management does NOT take direction from their own subordinate technical staff. When they reach the point of admitting they need 'expert' guidance, they hire an outside 'consultant' (like Anderson, of course) that's skilled in tailoring the Emperor's New Clothes.

The solution to all problems: hire someone with the job description that proclaims a solution. Getting there, however, is just a bunch of nagging details - none of which are enabled or empowered in the postulated position.

[gratuitous]

7. Another direct result of "starving" government

Gee, our schools are suffering, kids packed 40 to a classroom can't learn anything. Only the brightest and most self-motivated kids will prosper in such an environment. And now the employers, whose Chambers of Commerce and Businessmen's Round Tables have been preaching the Gospel of Lower Taxes for the last 50 years have suddenly noticed that they can't find "qualified candidates" to do the jobs in their stores, factories, firms and agencies?

You know, if they still taught logic and critical thinking in school, I'm sure someone might be able to find a correlation between the first part of that paragraph and the last part.

[Lindsay]

9. And those sales jobs...

say anything to make the sale, and oh, by the way, your quota for next month is double what it was for last month. And next month it will be double that.

Funny how people aren't just thrilled to take those jobs.

[European Socialist]

10. Employers won't invest in training if it takes more than a few hours.

[acmejack]

11. Talent shortage my ass!

Try an incentive shortage! The greedy bastards don't want to pay a fair wage, NO, they need more H-1B visas! I have been downwardly mobile for the last fifteen years, WTF? At first, I attributed it to the concession I had to make to move to the area I wanted to live, from a Northern Union State to a southern "right to work" State. where wages have been historically depressed. But for the last five years it has been a joke, I can't even get an interview. If you are over fifty-log it out.

[Dr. Jones]

12. I agree.

The most decent word to come out of my mouth on this matter is BULLSHIT!!!

I know of MANY people that had it good during the 1990s that are now working RETAIL to make ends meet, and of course how the hell is one to live on $6.50/hr. With no benefits. People with tech skills, people with creative skills. The good times are GONE, may never come back.

Worker shortage? Why not train people in our country then? Why not offer on the job training? Why not a governmental program to offer training to get our economy rolling again?

Bullshit article, REALLY pisses me off.

[Dr. Jones]

14. Something you said...

But for the last five years it has been a joke, I can't even get an interview. If you are over fifty-log it out.

This is the doggone truth. You are NOT exaggerating. I know of people who, in a five-year span, not only could not find a job, but had only a FEW interviews per year. And those interviews were so competitive, they probably choose someone who LIES on their resume just to get the job. I'm not talking about service jobs either. I'm talking about skilled professions such as tech jobs.

Also there is something to be said for age discrimination. Typically companies enjoy hiring college grads due to their willingness to mop the floors and clean the toilets if the company tells them to. Also they don't have to pay the college grads much, and they'll be happy. I surmise it wreaks havoc on the quality of work, because experienced workers are the ones who REALLY know what they're doing and how to make the company run smoothly. But do they hire experienced workers? Noooooo....

Please God, can we go back to 1998?? Please?

[Mind_your_head]

15. For all of you 20-30 somethings out there......keep in mind

When you're 50 you're gonna be 'done' too. So I hope you all are saving like crazy now ~ if you can. 50 gets to you quicker than you can imagine!

(My point is that 20-30 somethings should be outraged as well, cause it's not gonna be any different for them, probably worse, when they 'get there/here')

[Deja Q]

19. Look at my profile's Comment line and note the TechRepublic URL...

It won't be long before the 30-somethings are"the new 50-somethings".

I am outraged.

But it's all business. You folks love money and when it comes to money, shit like this will ALWAYS happen. History is a good example too. And you know how that repeats itself.

When companies want loyalty, they can ring me up. I am good and I am loyal. I don't have a piece of paper, but I do have a brain.

Never mind peak oil. I am by and large content with what is to happen.

So should everyone else. But they're too busy doing that they did during the late 90s: Job-hopping. Only this time it's not hopping to get a better paying job. It's about getting any job, period. Their hopping had cost them. Cost us all too.

[Mind_your_head]

28. Wow - very good read at your site

thanks for pointing me over there.

(btw, in your post above,when you said, "You folks love money"....I hope you weren't directing that at me personally? Because I definitely don't fall into that group. Not by a long shot.)

Peace

[Katherine Brengle]

20. It's already here for us youngins--we might have an edge when it comes

to technical knowledge in some areas, but we still don't have any experience coming out of college--without experience, you are unqualified in this country.

[Deja Q]

17. Bull. Employers want BACHELORS DEGREES for entry level HS crap,

And the pay they offer can't exactly be lived on anymore either!

[Katherine Brengle]

22. yes. n/t

[formerrepuke]

21. Also hard to find companies worth the loyalty: Little or no training,

few incentives, managers who don't know how to delegate- or recognize potential when they have it right under their nose. (I've been both the employee and in management, so I kind-of get it). And worst of all: When the number$ are getting tight- get rid of the ones who do the work, but keep all the HR staff, and 'management' positions with unclear job descriptions..etc.

[Deja Q]

23. K&R - I'm surprised nobody else has.

Yet.

[nickinSTL]

24. right...I find that hard to believe

considering my fiancee was a computer programmer for 10 years, and eminently qualified for programming jobs...but they won't even look at her since she lost her job back in '01.

[TahitiNut]

25. There's no 'technical' solution to management ineptitude.

While it's true that companies are unwilling to pay for the talent levels they say they want, the bigger problem is management ineptitude. Hiring managers are increasingly shifting the blame for their own lack of organization and production skills to their sales and technical people. Just like the Bushoilinis shifted the blame to an "intelligence failure," people in management positions are increasingly incapable of doing the job of management, constantly blaming their "information systems" and their sales people. Just like the Bushoilinis fire the scientists who don't give them the 'answers' they want, management punishes the techincal and engineering staff that doesn't meet their surrealistic 'faith-based' dogma. After decimating their production workforce and ignoring market demands, and listening to the marketing imbeciles making inflated promises and unrealizable product demands, they punish their subordinates for their own failures and total absence of hands-on expertise ("If I want an expert, I'll hire one.")

After many years in corporate management and management auditing, I'm appalled at the deterioration in management skills as the 'generalist' MBA fad has corrupted corporations in this country. It's politics and MBA-cronyism that rules today.

[HughBeaumont]

26. More like a shortage of workers who'll work for less than 25k/year.

They want every language, every business process, every OS under the sun for less than 40k per year. More or less, they're equating what takes nearly a decade to learn in business and college classrooms to mindless widget assembly.

Great idea, Pukes. Let's put ALL of the money in the hands of ONE class and see how far the rest of us get. Good luck getting corporations and the asswipes that run them to ever throw US a bone again. Oh, and in case you weren't aware, you're part of the have-nots just like the rest of us, you stupid *-votin' shitbags.