Manpower Inc. surveyed nearly 33,000 employers across 23 countries and territories in late January to determine the extent to which talent shortages are impacting today’s labor markets. The survey results, released Monday, revealed that 40 percent of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available in their markets.
Employers having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs are those in Mexico (78 percent reporting shortages), Canada (66 percent) and Japan (58 percent). The talent shortage appears to be least problematic in India, where only 13 percent of employers reported having difficulty filling positions.
Global Results
The top 10 jobs that employers are having difficulty filling across the 23 countries and territories surveyed are (ranked in order):
1. Sales Representatives
2. Engineers
3. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering and maintenance)
4. Production Operators
5. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily carpenters, welders and plumbers)
6. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
7. Administrative Assistants/Personal Assistants
8. Drivers
9. Accountants
10. Management/Executives
Total Number of Respondents: 32,975
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 40%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 60%
Margin of error: +/- 4.1%
Results by Country
AMERICAS
Canada
1. Sales Representatives
2. Customer Service Representatives/Customer Support
3. Engineers
4. Drivers
5. Mechanics
6. Laborers
7. Chefs/Cooks
8. Electricians
9. Skilled Trades
10. Nurses
Total Number of Respondents: 1,000
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 66%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 34%
Margin of error: +/- 3.1%
Mexico
1. Sales Representatives
2. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
3. Laborers
4. Production Operators
5. Administrative Assistants & PAs
6. Engineers
7. Customer Service Representatives/ Customer Support
8. Maintenance Managers
9. Sales Managers
10. Receptionists
Total Number of Respondents: 4,806
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 78%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 22%
Margin of error: +/- 1.4%
United States
1. Sales Representatives
2. Engineers
3. Nurses
4. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
5. Accountants
6. Administrative Assistants & PAs
7. Drivers
8. Call Center Operators
9. Machinists
10. Management/Executives
Total Number of Respondents: 1,275
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 44%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 56%
Margin of error: +/- 2.7%
ASIA PACIFIC
Australia
1. Sales Representatives
2. Engineers
3. Skilled Trades (primarily welders, boiler makers, plumbers)
4. Accountants
5. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
6. Drivers
7. Mechanics
8. Receptionists
9. Administrative Assistants & PAs
10. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
Total Number of Respondents: 3,023
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 32%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 68%
Margin of error: +/- 1.8%
China
1. Production Operators
2. Sales Representatives
3. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
4. Management/Executives
5. Engineers
6. Machinists
7. Researcher (R&D)
8. Designers
9. Restaurants & Hotel Staff
10. Receptionists
Total Number of Respondents: 2,692
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 24%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 76%
Margin of error: +/- 1.9%
Hong Kong
1. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
2. Sales Representatives
3. Engineers
4. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
5. Management/Executives
6. Buying/Procurement Staff
7. Designers
8. Accountants
9. Quality Controllers
10. Project Managers
Total Number of Respondents: 741
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 31%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 69%
Margin of error: +/- 3.6%
India
1. Sales Representatives
2. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
3. Accountants
4. Marketing & PR Executive
5. Sales Managers
6. Engineering/Technical Managers
7. IT Manager/Project Managers
8. Engineers
9. Administrative Assistants & PAs
10. Teachers
Total Number of Respondents: 4,382
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 13%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 87%
Margin of error: +/- 1.5%
Japan
1. Sales Representatives
2. Engineers
3. Administrative Assistants & PAs
4. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
5. Production Operators
6. Accountants
7. Skilled Trades
8. Call Center Operators
9. Instructors/Teachers
10. Planning
Total Number of Respondents: 892
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 58%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 42%
Margin of error: +/- 3.3%
New Zealand
1. Sales Representatives
2. Engineers
3. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
4. Accountants
5. Laborers
6. Administrative Assistants & PAs
7. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
8. Machinists
9. Customer Service Representatives/Customer Support
10. Production Operators
11. Receptionists
Total Number of Respondents: 838
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 25%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 75%
Margin of error: +/- 3.4%
Singapore
1. Sales Representatives
2. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
3. Engineers
4. Logistics Clerks/Officers
5. Customer Service Representatives/Customer Support
6. Personal Financial Consultants
7. Skilled Trades
8. Production Operators
9. Security Guards
10. Dispatchers
Total Number of Respondents: 627
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 47%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 53%
Margin of error: +/- 3.9%
Taiwan
1. Researchers (R&D)
2. Sales Representatives
3. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
4. Engineers
5. Management/Executives
6. Production Operators
7. Quality Controllers
8. Drivers
9. Designers
10. Project Managers
Total Number of Respondents: 1,438
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 53%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 47%
Margin of error: +/- 2.5%
EUROPE
Austria
1. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
2. IT Manager/Project Managers
3. Nurses
4. Accountants
5. Engineers
6. Electricians
7. Sales Representatives
8. Skilled Trades
9. Production Operators
10. Mechanics
Total Number of Respondents: 760
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 31%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 69%
Margin of error: +/- 3.6
Belgium
1. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
2. Drivers
3. Electricians
4. Production Operators
5. Sales Representatives
6. Restaurants & Hotel Staff
7. Chefs/Cooks
8. Accountants
9. Nurses
10. Administrative Assistants & PAs
Total Number of Respondents: 759
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 42%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 58%
Margin of error: +/- 3.6%
France
1. Skilled Trades (primarily joiners, plumbers, painters, masons, welders)
2. Restaurants & Hotel Staff
3. Drivers
4. Chefs/Cooks
5. Sales Representatives
6. Production Operators
7. Administrative Assistants & PAs
8. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
9. Management/Executives
10. Mechanics
Total Number of Respondents: 1,007
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 30%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 70%
Margin of error: +/- 3.1%
Germany
1. Production Operators
2. Sales Representatives
3. Engineers
4. Management/Executives
5. Restaurants & Hotel Staff
6. Administrative Assistants & PAs
7. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
8. Drivers
9. Electricians
10. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
Total Number of Respondents: 1,004
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 53%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 47%
Margin of error: +/- 3.1%
Ireland
1. Sales Representatives
2. Nurses
3. Chefs/Cooks
4. Administrative Assistants & PAs
5. Skilled Trades (primarily plumbers, plasterers, bricklayers)
6. Drivers
7. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
8. Machinists
9. Multilingual candidates
10. Insurance (Qualified Brokers, Clerks)
Total Number of Respondents: 558
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 32%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 68%
Margin of error: +/- 4.1%
Italy
1. Production Operators
2. Chefs/Cooks
3. Administrative Assistants & PAs
4. Drivers
5. Nurses
6. Sales Representatives
7. Cleaner/Cleaning/Domestic staff
8. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
9. Customer Service Representatives/ Customer Support
10. Engineers
Total Number of Respondents: 1,014
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 32%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 68%
Margin of error: +/- 3.1%
Netherlands
1. Skilled Trades (primarily fitter, joiner, welder, bricklayer)
2. Nurses
3. Management/Executives
4. Production Operators
5. Legal staff (solicitors, lawyers, legal secretaries)
6. Teachers
7. Accountants
8. Mechanics
9. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
10. Electricians
11. Administrative Assistants & PAs
Total Number of Respondents: 780
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 30%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 70%
Margin of error: +/- 3.5%
Norway
1. Engineers
2. Nurses
3. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
4. Skilled Trades
5. Sales Representatives
6. Accountants
7. Teachers
8. Not Available
9. Not Available
10.
Not AvailableTotal Number of Respondents: 750
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 26%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 74%
Margin of error: +/- 3.6%
Spain
1. Production Operators
2. Skilled Trades
3. Restaurants & Hotel Staff
4. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
5. Chefs/Cooks
6. Sales Representatives
7. Management/Executives
8. Drivers
9. Engineers
10. Maintenance Managers
Total Number of Respondents: 1,002
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 57%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 43%
Margin of error: +/- 3.1%
Sweden
1. Skilled Trades (primarily joiner, welder, bricklayer)
2. Chefs/Cooks
3. Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
4. Sales Representatives
5. Forestry & Agricultural workers
6. Management/Executives
7. Engineers
8. Drivers
9. Sales Managers
10. Supervisors
Total Number of Respondents: 754
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 29%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 71%
Margin of error: +/- 3.6%
Switzerland
1. Production Operators
2. Skilled Trades (primarily joiner, welder, bricklayer)
3. Management/Executives
4. Restaurants & Hotel Staff
5. Sales Representatives
6. IT Staff (primarily programmers/developers)
7. Landscape Gardeners
8. Accountants
9. Engineers
10. Nurses
Total Number of Respondents: 751
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 48%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 52%
Margin of error: +/- 3.6%
United Kingdom
1. Sales Representatives
2. Administrative Assistants & PAs
3. Skilled Trades (primarily fitter, plumber, joiner)
4. Engineers
5. Drivers
6. Chefs/Cooks
7. Restaurants & Hotel Staff
8. Accountants
9. Cleaner/Cleaning/Domestic staff
10. Management/Executives
Total Number of Respondents: 2,122
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 42%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 58%
Margin of error: +/- 2.0%
* In this survey, Skilled Trades refers to a broad range of job titles that require workers to possess specialized skills, traditionally learned over a period of time as an apprentice. Examples of skilled trades jobs are: bricklayers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, masons, plumbers, welders, etc. These jobs are listed in order of highest demand for each country.
For more information, visit www.manpower.com.
