Employers should strategically prepare for fluctuating labor demand
Posted February 7, 2012
Creating flexible work models that employ a range of full-time, contingent, and virtual skilled workers is the way to drive productivity in a disruptive environment, according to ManpowerGroup, a workforce solutions provider.
On February 3, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the overall January unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest level since February 2009, and that the private sector added 257,000 new jobs last month. The economy has added U.S. jobs for 16 consecutive months.
"Last month's genuine job growth and the revised BLS figures from 2011 clearly boosts the nation's hiring confidence, but we do expect demand to continue fluctuating," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup chairman and CEO. "Employers must master flexible work models which enable them to tap the right skilled talent, even remotely located, in a moment's notice. The pressure to drive productivity while volatile market conditions vacillate is intensifying. Companies that cannot quickly tap the right talent to execute their business strategy inevitably lose their competitive edge."
ManpowerGroup's 2011 Talent Shortage Survey found that 52 percent of U.S. companies are struggling to fill key jobs, the highest percentage in the six-year history of the survey. ManpowerGroup advises companies to think long term, because the talent mismatch will inevitably worsen as demand for products and services increases.
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