Employability Challenges Persist

Despite the continuing caution exercised by many companies amid ongoing economic uncertainty, a substantial portion of employers in the U.S. and worldwide identify a lack of available skilled talent as a continuing drag on business performance. ManpowerGroup's seventh annual Talent Shortage Survey looks at the extent to which employers are having difficulty finding the right talent; what jobs are most difficult to fill and why; concern over stakeholder impact; and what strategies employers are pursuing to overcome the talent shortage.

Top 10 Hardest Jobs to fill

ManpowerGroup's Talent Shortage Survey identifies the top 10 most difficult to fill jobs in the U.S. Take a look below to compare the lists from 2006 through 2012.

  1. 2012

        Hardest to Fill in 2012

    • Skilled Trades
    • Engineers
    • IT Staff
    • Sales Representatives
    • Accounting & Finance Staff
    • Drivers
    • Mechanics
    • Nurses
    • Machinist/Machine Operators
    • Teachers

  2. 2011

        Hardest to Fill in 2011

    • Skilled Trades
    • Sales Representatives
    • Engineers
    • Drivers
    • Accounting & Finance staff
    • IT staff
    • Management/Executive (Management/Corporate)
    • Teachers
    • Secretaries, PAs, Administrative assistants & Office support staff
    • Machinist/Machine Operator

  3. 2010

        Hardest to Fill in 2010

    • Skilled Trades
    • Sales Representatives
    • Nurses
    • Technicians
    • Drivers
    • Restaurants & Hotel staff
    • Management/Executive (Management/Corporate)
    • Engineers
    • Doctors and other non-nursing health professionals
    • Customer Service Representatives & Customer Support

  4. 2009

        Hardest to Fill in 2009

    • Engineers
    • Nurses
    • Skilled Manual Trades
    • Teachers
    • Sales Representatives
    • Technicians
    • Drivers
    • IT staff
    • Laborers
    • Machinist/Machine Operator

  5. 2008

        Hardest to Fill in 2008

    • Engineers
    • Machinist/Machine Operator
    • Skilled Trades (1 Welder, 2 Carpenter/Joiner)
    • Technicians
    • Sales Representatives
    • Accounting & Finance staff
    • Mechanics
    • Laborers
    • IT staff
    • Production Operators

  6. 2007

        Hardest to Fill in 2007

    • Sales Representatives
    • Teachers
    • Mechanics
    • Technicians
    • Management
    • Truck Driver
    • Drivers/Delivery
    • Accountant
    • Laborer
    • Machine Operator

  7. 2006

        Hardest to Fill in 2006

    • Sales Representatives
    • Engineers
    • Nurses
    • Technicians (primarily production/operations, engineering or maintenance)
    • Accountants
    • Administrative Assistants & PAs
    • Drivers
    • Call Center Operators
    • Machinists
    • Management/Executive

ManpowerGroup Annual Survey Reveals U.S. Talent Shortages Persist

View ManpowerGroup's press release announcing the results of the seventh annual Talent Shortage Survey.
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2012 Talent Shortage Survey Research Results

See full global results of the ManpowerGroup seventh annual Talent Shortage Survey.
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Break the Crisis and Complacency Cycle: Get Ahead of the Global Talent Shortage

ManpowerGroup's Fresh Perspectives Paper details specialized solutions for winning today's talent war. Learn about winning workforce strategies that help companies become thriving market leaders.
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U.S. Employers Struggle to Fill Jobs

The Talent Shortage has peaked in recent years. See survey results since 2006.


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Why are Employers Having Difficulty?

Mission-critical jobs are hard to fill and U.S. employers tell us why.


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How Are Employers Addressing Talent Shortages?

Employers are pursing strategies to overcome hiring difficulties.


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