Are Your Skills in Demand?

41 percent of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to a lack of available talent. A survey, conducted by Manpower Inc, reveals talent shortages in various countries.

Below is a list of some of the countries surveyed and the top 10 most difficult jobs to fill for each one. Talent shortages are resulting in recruitment difficulties for 62% of employers in New Zealand, 61% in Australia, 41% in the United States, 36% in Canada and 34% in the UK.

New Zealand
1. Sales Representatives
2. Engineers
3. Management/Executives
4. Technicians
5. Accounting & Finance Staff
6. Labourers
7. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily printers/finishers,
flooring installers or unspecified skilled trades)
8. Machinists/Machine Operators
9. IT Staff (primarily software developers/engineers)
10. Production Operators
Total Number of Respondents: 621
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 62%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 38%
Margin of error: +/- 3.9%

Australia
1. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily electricians, boiler
makers or welders)
2. Engineers
3. Sales Representatives
4. Accounting & Finance Staff
5. Labourers
6. Management/Executives
7. Drivers
8. Machinists/Machine Operators
9. Technicians
10. Administrative Assistants & PAs
Total Number of Respondents: 2,486
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 61%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 39%
Margin of error: +/- 2.0%

United States
1. Sales Representatives
2. Teachers
3. Mechanics
4. Technicians
5. Management
6. Truck Drivers - Freight
7. Drivers - Delivery
8. Accountants
9. Labourers
10. Machine Operators
Total Number of Respondents: 2,407
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 41%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 59%
Margin of error: +/- 2.0%

Canada
1. Skilled Manual Trades
2. Sales Representatives
3. Customer Service Representatives/Customer
Support
4. Labourers
5. Drivers
6. Mechanics
7. Machinists/Machine Operators
8. Engineers
9. Management/Executives
10. Cleaners & Domestic Staff
Total Number of Respondents: 1,703
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 36%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 64%
Margin of error: +/- 2.4%

United Kingdom
1. Skilled Manual Trades
2. Administrative Assistants & PAs
3. Engineers
4. Sales Representatives
5. Management/Executives
6. Labourers
7. Accounting & Finance Staff
8. Chefs/Cooks
9. Machinists/Machine Operators
10. Supervisors
Total Number of Respondents: 1,805
Employers indicating difficulty filling positions: 34%
Employers indicating no difficulty filling positions: 66%
Margin of error: +/- 2.4%

Nearly 37,000 employers across 27 labour markets were surveyed in late January 2007.