Last week, Manpower released results from its annual 10 Hardest Jobs To Fill Survey. The results, while not surprising, are anything but encouraging for U.S. manufacturing concerns.
The top 3 are Engineers, Machinists and Skilled Labor. Here's the whole list, and it can be argued that the manufacturing supply chain is, uh ... well-represented beyond the top spots:
- Engineers
- Machinists/Machine Operators (10)*
- Skilled Trades
- Technicians (4)*
- Sales Representatives (1)*
- Accounting & Finance Staff (8)*
- Mechanics (3)*
- Laborers (9)*
- IT Staff
- Production Operators (* Rank in 2007 Top 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill)
Manpower surveyed 2,000 employers for this year's version, its third.
U.S. Machining and manufacturing professionals have seen this for years - the confluence of cultural and educational shifts that have focused our emerging workforce away from these specific skill sets, once so valued and coveted.
From the Manpower press release:
"While job categories have shifted on the list, it is clear all companies must have a plan for transitioning from baby boomers to younger generations," said Melanie Holmes, Vice President, World of Work Solutions for Manpower North America. "It is essential for companies to find a balance where they are attracting and retaining aging workers while still developing innovative recruiting programs targeting young professionals, especially those interested in technical and trade careers."
There are few quick fixes to this problem, other than lobbying to increase the H-1B visa cap, and increasing education funding to enable reform. But these are band aids, and only temporary. Shifting a culture's perceptions is the hard part.
