Businesses Big and Small Can't Find Enough Workers

Employers are (finally) providing training and benefits that, offered earlier in the cycle, might have been less expensive than engaging in talent recruiting wars.

They are also discovering that some of the claims about robotics are overblown (!) and that  human capital still has considerable value.  JL

James Freeman reports in the Wall Street Journal:

Large corporations find it tough to hire because workers of all ages like flexibility in work environments and scheduling not always available at big firms. Companies are looking at different talent pools for skills including boomerang retirees, long-term unemployed or returning parents and part-timers.Employer demand is not limited to technical skills, but also extends to “soft skills” like communication and the ability to collaborate. Literature majors with manners, your ship has come in.
The number of job openings in the United States is at an all-time high, and a new report  shows American businesses of all sizes trying to find the workers they need to meet the demands of a rising economy. ManpowerGroup surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. employers and finds that 46% report difficulty filling jobs. “Skilled trade workers, sales representatives and drivers remain the hardest roles to fill,” according to the Milwaukee-based staffing company.

“Most of the jobs where demand is growing are mid-skilled roles such as electricians, welders and mechanics that require training, yet not always a four-year college degree,” reports Manpower Group, adding:

Although unemployment remains low, there are millions of workers on the edge of the U.S. labor market. Companies are bringing in workers from the sidelines to fill talent gaps and 40% are looking at different talent pools for skills including boomerang retirees, long-term unemployed or returning parents and part-timers.

Manpower’s North American chief Becky Frankiewicz shares the encouraging news that she and her colleagues are seeing discouraged workers coming back into the labor force and that employers are becoming more forgiving about blemishes on the personal histories of job applicants. For example, companies are increasingly willing to overlook a criminal conviction if it was for a non-violent offense.
This column has been reporting on the monthly struggle of small business owners to find all the workers they want to hire, as measured by the National Federation of Independent Business employer survey. One might normally assume that large corporations with their big brand names and abundant resources have an easier time attracting the talent they need. But Ms. Frankiewicz says the giant companies are also facing challenges, and in some cases greater challenges as they seek to fill open positions.
This is partly because millennials are less attracted to large organizations and traditional brand names than some earlier generations. After all the millennial jokes isn’t it nice to hear they have a healthy and very American skepticism about large organizations?
Beyond the millennials, large corporations can find it tough to hire because workers of all ages increasingly like flexibility in work environments and scheduling that may not always be available at big firms. Ms. Frankiewicz finds that, regardless of age, many workers like the freedom of the “gig economy” even if it comes with fewer guaranteed benefits.
ManpowerGroup research also finds that heavy employer demand is not limited to technical skills, but also extends to “soft skills” like communication and the ability to collaborate. Literature majors with manners, your ship has come in.