Manpower South Africa: Annual Talent Shortage Survey Reveals Employees Needed in Skilled Trades and Engineering

Transcription

1 For further information please contact: Lion s Wing Brand Communications Gia Costella gia@lionswing.co.za Manpower South Africa: Annual Talent Shortage Survey Reveals Employees Needed in Skilled Trades and Engineering Worldwide Talent Shortage has local impact with 8% of employers in South Africa struggling to fill jobs, compared to 85% in Japan and 2% in Ireland. Johannesburg, 2 June 2014: ManpowerGroup s ninth annual Talent Shortage Survey shows some interesting changes for 2014 over the 2013 results, with Skilled Trades replacing Engineers as the most difficult position for companies to fill. The survey is conducted every year out of a sample of 750 businesses in South Africa. "While Engineers no longer holding the top spot, they come in this year as the second most difficult job to fill. In 2013 we saw Management/Executives coming in at number 2, however this year, this position has dropped off the top ten list. This doesn t necessarily mean that the lack of candidates for the positions have been filled, just that different sectors of the economy may be experiencing better growth or decline this year," explains Lyndy Van Den Barselaar, Managing Director for Manpower Group South Africa. Position Skilled trades Engineers 2. Engineers 3. Secretaries, Personal Assistants, Receptionists, Administrative assistants & Office support staff 4. Accounting and Finance staff Management / Executive (Management/Corporate) Teachers 5. Teachers Skilled Trades Legal staff (solicitors, lawyers, legal secretaries)

2 6. Drivers Accounting & Finance Staff 7. Production Operators/Machine Operators Restaurants & Hotel staff 8. Restaurants &Hotel staff Technicians 9. Sales Representatives Customer Service Representatives & Customer Support 10. Buying & Procurement staff IT Staff The top ten job shortage positions for 2014 over 2013 "With unemployment in the country hovering around the 25% mark, it is surprising that we are still suffering job shortages. The lack of technical competencies paired with the rampant skills shortages remains a problem for local employers, across various industries. The skills shortage is widely regarded as a key obstacle to economic growth and business expansion. This is evident in the fact that skilled trades and engineers are topping the list as the most difficult jobs to fill, as they require a high level of skill," explains van den Barselaar. She notes that while teachers may have moved from 3 rd position in 2013 to 5 th in 2014, this is a skills shortage that has remained in the top-ten most difficult jobs to fill for many years, and is one that is critical to the future of the country. The shortage of Accounting and Finance staff, which is at number 4 this year, can be partially attributed to those with these kinds of skills leaving the country to work elsewhere in the world. The skills gap is not only a South African challenge, but a global one. This means that many highlyskilled individuals are being attracted away from South Africa to other countries with more lucrative job prospects, she says. In terms of buying and procurement staff, which is a new addition to the top-ten list, van den Barselaar notes this can be directly linked to the difficult business economy. Large companies operating in a difficult business economy require staff to assist them in making the most costeffective and sustainable choices, which is where buying and procurement staff come in. The 2013 results saw South Africa in third position from the bottom, with 6% of employers having difficulty filling jobs. This year, when compared to the 41 other countries surveyed, South Africa came in 4 th from the bottom, with only 8% of employers reporting difficulty filling jobs. The global average for 2014 sits at 36%. Employers in Japan report the greatest talent shortages globally more than four out of five (8) are struggling to fill open jobs. Elsewhere, the most acute shortages are reported in Peru, India, Brazil, Turkey and Argentina. At the other end of the scale, employers in Ireland (2%), Spain (3%) and the Netherlands (5%) report the least problems with talent shortages.

3 The research shows that globally, the roles most difficult to fill are Skilled Trade Workers, Engineers and Sales Representatives unchanged from the 2013 survey. Employers are reporting the greatest talent shortages in Skilled Trade positions. Also for the third year in a row, Engineers ranked second on the list. In third place, moving up on position, are Technicians, while Sales Representatives slip one place to fourth. The Sales Manager category is new to the top 10 this year, placing seventh (up from 12 th in 2013), while the Labourer category drops out of the top 10 after slipping down the rankings for the past three years. Accounting and Finance and Management/Executive positions are also increasingly hard to fill. EMEA Results 1 Skilled Trades Workers 2 Engineers 3 Sales Representatives 4 Technicians 5 Management/Executives 6 Drivers 7 Accounting & Finance Staff 8 Restaurants & Hotels Staff 9 Secretaries, PAs, Receptionists, Administrative Assistants & Office Support Staff 10 Labourers South Africa was surveyed as part of the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region. For 2014, it was reported that 27% in this region are having difficulty filling jobs. This is up from 26% in 2013, and 4 points above the low point of 23% in It is also the highest figure for the region since Q2 2008, prior to the economic downturn. For the eighth consecutive year, the talent shortage is most notable for Skilled Trades positions. The Engineer category is second placed for the third consecutive year, while sales representatives have

4 also been placed third on the list for three years running. Meanwhile, one new category enters the top 10 this year Restaurants & Hotels Staff are placed 8 th, moving up from 14 th in As in 2013, 19% of EMEA employers who are facing talent shortages say that this has a high impact on their ability to meet client needs, and a further 3 report a medium impact. Meanwhile, three in ten say talent shortages currently have no impact on end client relationships. Among those who do see an organisational impact caused by talent shortages, the most common concerns are the reduced ability to serve clients (5) and reduced competitiveness/productivity (46%). Almost three in ten (29%) report reduced innovation and creativity and increased employee turnover as consequences of talent shortages. When asked why they were having difficulty filling these positions, the lack of available applicants is the most common factor underlying the talent shortages reported in the region, mentioned by 37% of employers (up from 33% in 2013). 35% report a lack of technical competencies as a key reason, while 25% find that candidates lack the necessary experience. Lack of available applicants/no applicants Lack of technical competencies (hard skills) Lack of experience Lack of workplace competencies (soft skills) 14% 15% Looking for more pay than is offered 10% 10% Undesirable geographic destination 4% 6% Poor image of business sector/occupation 3% 5% Lack of applicants willing to work in part- 2% 3% Reluctance to relocate 2% Overqualified applicants Poor image of company and/or its culture 36% 25% 29% When asked how they plan to tackle the difficulties presented by talent shortages, it was reported that more than four in ten EMEA (42%) employers are seeking to tackle talent shortages by adopting non-traditional people-practices. Meanwhile, the proportion looking to exploit new talent sources to counter the issue of talent shortage increases from 19% in 2013 to 24% this year. 33% 37% 35% % 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

5 People practices 44% 42% 2 2 Talent sources Work models Not pursuing strategies at present 19% 22% 24% 23% 29% 26% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% "In order to tackle the skills shortage in South Africa, it is imperative that provincial government continues to support employment through skills training, as well as support for small-, medium- and macro-enterprises. Policies such as the Skills Development Levy and the Skills Development Act support job creation and economic growth, which should reflect positively on the job market and the amount of skilled workers in future," concludes Barselaar. ENDS