According to ManpowerGroup’s sixth-annual Talent Shortage Survey, 52% of U.S. employers are experiencing difficulty filling mission-critical positions, up significantly from only 14% in 2010.

The Highlights

The number of employers struggling to fill key positions is at an all-time high despite relatively high unemployment. U.S. employers are struggling more than their global counterparts, only one in three of whom are having difficulty.

According to the more than 1,300 U.S. employers surveyed, the jobs that are most difficult to fill include Skilled Trades, Sales Representatives and Engineers, all of which have appeared on the U.S. list multiple times in the past. The survey also highlights the most common reasons employers say they are having trouble filling jobs, including candidates looking for more pay than is offered, lack of technical skills and lack of experience.

What It Means

“The fact that companies cite a lack of skills or experience as a reason for talent shortages should be a wake-up call for employers, academia, government and individuals,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup president of the Americas. “It is imperative that these stakeholders work together to address the supply-and-demand imbalance in the labor market in a systematic, agile and sustainable way. There may also be an increasing imbalance between employers willingness to pay higher salaries in what is still a soft general labor market compared to the salary expectations of prospective employees, especially those with skills that are in high demand.”

Hardest Jobs to Fill

The top 10 hardest jobs to fill include:

1. Skilled Trades
2. Sales Representatives
3. Engineers
4. Drivers
5. Accounting & Finance Staff
6. IT Staff
7. Management Executives
8. Teachers
9. Secretaries/Administrative Assistants
10. Machinists/Machine Operators

Several jobs on last year’s list — Nurses, Technicians, Restaurant/Hotel Staff, Doctors/Non-nursing Professionals and Customer Service Representatives — didn’t make this year’s cut.

“Manufacturing” Talent for the Human Age

ManpowerGroup also released a Fresh Perspectives Paper today, entitled “Manufacturing” Talent for the Human Age. The paper makes recommendations for how employers should address talent scarcity challenges in the face of an abundance of available workers, including (1) a holistic workforce strategy, (2) updating work models and people practices to reflect current realities and (3) collaborating with governments, academia and individuals.

“The tremendous spike in U.S. employers that are having difficulty filling positions tells us that we’re in the thick of the much-anticipated global talent mismatch,” added Prising. “As we know from the persistently high unemployment rate, job seekers are plentiful, but employers are engaged in an ongoing struggle to fill positions. Ultimately, the underlying reason for this gap between available talent and desired talent is simple: jobs have structurally changed over time, and the skills needed to fulfill these roles have too. While talent cannot be ‘manufactured’ in the short term, a robust workforce strategy will ensure that companies can find the people to support their business strategy, and that employees have the opportunity to pursue meaningful career paths.”

Global Results

ManpowerGroup surveyed almost 40,000 employers across 39 countries and territories as part of its annual survey. Globally, 34% of employers say they are having difficulty filling positions, the three most challenging of which are Technicians, Sales Representatives and Skilled Trades. The reasons most often cited are lack of experience, lack of available applicants and lack of technical skills. Employers are having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs in Japan (80%), India (67%) and Brazil (57%).

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