Archive for July, 2008

Archives for Research

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Let’s admit that it’s ironic to talk about talent shortages in a recession. Unemployment is rising in America, though it’s still better than in Europe. But in Manpower’s annual survey of 43,000 employers in 32 countries, nearly one-third of the companies experience difficulties filling open positions.

Globally, that’s down by 10% in a year, clear evidence that there’s more supply in the talent markets. But in the US of A the situation is more worrisome: a year ago 62% of employers said they were having difficulty filling jobs and this year only 28% shared the same complaint.

2008 Global Hot Jobs

1. Skilled Manual Trades
2. Sales Representatives
3. Technicians
4. Engineers
5. Management/Executives
6. Laborers
7. Administrative Assistants / PAs
8. Drivers
9. Accounting & Finance staff
10. IT Staff
Manpower, 2008 Talent Shortage Survey

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Archives for Research

Forbes released a careers package called  Worst Jobs for the 21^st Century.  Although it’s neither uplifting nor funny, the report uses federal data to identify careers to avoid (assuming you still have a choice).

Forbes reports that apart from manufacturing jobs, in decline because of productivity gains and offshoring, technology is undermining classic office jobs such as filing and data entry.  

The worst jobs projected through 2014? Read More

Archives for Recruiters

Recruiting creative professionals is a bit of a rough and tumble affair. The industry leaders scale up by establishing teams in dozens of countries, moving themselves closer to their customers while tapping local talent supplies.

Yet, when it comes to recruiting “creatives,” that is, problem-solvers and innovative thinkers, size alone is not enough of a draw. The companies that gather the most global talent are applying creativity to the recruitment process itself.

I sat through an illuminating presentation at the Human Capital Institute Summit by the head of recruiting for industry leader Electronic Arts, a video game software company that has chalked up $2.85 billion in revenue while its expanding its operations to 22 countries.

“Innovation is the penultimate skill we need at EA – more than any other thing,” says Jeff Hunter, EA’s head of recruiting. Hunter, who is a terrific blogger both on his own and for Simply Hired, concedes that EA’s stature sometimes undermines its appeal to global talent. “It turns out that creatives don’t want to work for the 800 pound gorilla – they want to work for a smaller company and have more say,” adds Hunter.

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Archives for Research

A BusinessWeek cover story The Best Places to Launch a Career proclaimed that this was the “year accountants became sexy.” Does that add up for you?

In a study promoting the best places for college grads to work, accounting firms nab the top three spots: Deloitte & Touche; PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young.  In a bit of an upset, nerds claim the next three spots: IBM, Google and Microsoft. (For a complete ranking of the top firms, click here.)

Before you faint from disbelief consider these fun facts:

• Bean counters are much in demand. Chalk it up to increased spending by corporations seeking to meet the conditions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other forms of government regulation. The Wall Street Journal cites anecdotal information that job postings for accounting majors have doubled since 2004 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• There’s an “epic talent shortage” of accountants
• Recruiters are getting a bit wiser (the Journal said ‘hipper’ but let’s call that a stretch) about recruiting for talent, using Facebook, Second Life, offering extended vacations and even holding contests to impress recruits
• The pay is decent. First year salaries among the 95 companies BusinessWeek surveyed average a healthy $60,000 – $65,000 a year.

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