These findings come from an annual survey commissioned by staffing firm Manpower, however, Economic Policy Institute (EPI) and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data also indicates labor shortages in a number of areas.
The 10 Hardest Jobs To Fill In 2013
The most difficult positions to fill for the 3rd year in a row are those in skilled trades. Here are the 10 hardest jobs to staff:
- Skilled Trade Workers
- Engineers
- Sales Representatives
- Technicians
- Accounting & Finance Staff
- Management/Executives
- IT Staff
- Drivers
- Teachers
- Laborers
Why are firms are having trouble filling these jobs?
According to the survey results, 55 percent of employers say they are having trouble filling jobs because of a lack of applicants. A close second, 54 percent of employers, say that applicants are looking for more pay than is offered. The third most common reason employers say they are having difficulty? Applicants lack experience.
Geography plays a considerable role in staffing many of these hard-to-fill positions. For example, certain types of workers may be in short supply in one region but find it tough to find a job in other areas. This is especially true for skilled trades workers like carpenters, welders, plumbers, electricians and masons as well as engineers, machinists, and teachers. Most of this type of work is geographically fixed and cannot be relocated or offshored.
In fact, when looking at the skilled trades shortage, there are several forces at play. Lots of the older tradespeople are retiring and there aren't enough young workers to replace them—partially because less prestige is accorded to vocational and technical training—and partially because training isn't meeting employers’ standards.
Another factor contributing to the talent shortage is that while employers recognize that the shortage poses a grave danger to their business competitiveness, most appear to be at a loss for answers. 1/5 of organizations surveyed report they are doing nothing at all to address the problem. In fact, 87 percent of companies experiencing a talent shortage are not actively looking for new sources of talent.
7 ways a Vendor Management Software can make your life easier…
A powerful VMS technology can help organizations facing a talent shortage combat the issue in a number of ways. For example, Beeline can help companies broaden their approach to recruiting and hiring and improve talent pipelines by tapping different resources of talent and re-deploying current non-employees. Here are a few more ways a VMS can make your life easier.
- You can access new sources of talent and leverage a range of talent from various suppliers.
- VMS shortens time-to-fill open positions. You can quickly and efficiently fill your open assignments with the best available candidate.
- VMS facilitates the interview and hire process, as well as labor time collection approval and payment. For example, by creating requisition templates for commonly requested positions, you can post an opening in minutes (instead of days or weeks) and find the best talent quickly, rather than wasting valuable time developing requisitions from scratch every time.
- You can reduce procurement costs by simplifying your payment process.
- You can save time and energy by having a single point of contact to manage your non-employee workforce.
- Vendor management software ensures transparency and efficiency by providing you detailed metrics about every aspect of your non-employee workforce.
- VMS can help labor-intensive industries gain an advantage in controlling expenses during market downturns by controlling the size of their non-employee base.
