Skilled trades positions remain hardest to fill, says survey

ManpowerGroup's annual "Talent Shortage Survey" has revealed that 32 percent of U.S. employers report difficulties filling job vacancies due to talent shortages. This marks a decrease of 8 percent, falling from 40 percent in 2014.

For the sixth consecutive year, skilled trade vacancies are the hardest to fill in the U.S., and for the fourth consecutive year, skilled trade roles are the hardest to fill globally.

Among U.S. employers, 48 percent acknowledge that talent shortages have a medium to high impact on their business, but few are putting talent strategies in place to address the problem. One in five U.S. employers still is not pursuing strategies to overcome talent shortages, despite the negative effect on their business. This is up from 12 months ago, when 13 percent of U.S. employers reported they were not pursuing strategies to overcome talent shortages.

When asked why they are struggling to fill certain jobs, employers cite a lack of applicants (33 percent), lack of experience (19 percent), and lack of technical competencies or hard skills (17 percent). Technical competencies employers seek include industry-specific professional qualifications (7 percent) and trade certifications (7 percent).

For more details, visit www.manpowergroup.us/campaigns/talent-shortage-2015/.