Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup advised companies that are quickly expanding in growth hot spots to prioritize hiring workers with knowledge and skills demanded across industries, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the overall national March jobless rate was 7.6 percent, down from 7.7 percent in February.
Only 88,000 jobs were added in March, 2013 across industries. Professional and business services added 51,000. Construction increased by 18,000. And, health care added 23,000. Also, February’s overall new jobs figure was revised up to 268,000 from 236,000, while the January figure was revised up to 148,000 from 119,000.
Hot spots are characterized as having the perfect factors in place to accelerate the growth of interconnected industries – such as engineering, manufacturing and construction.
ManpowerGroup’s “Where the Jobs Are” infographic diagrams which industries are hiring and where. It is based on the U.S. results from the Quarter 2, 2013 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey results.
“While employers are forced to hire at an accelerated rate in talent-starved growth regions, they still must thoroughly screen and recruit the right workers in order to wisely sustain regional growth,” said Jeffrey Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO. “And workers possessing the right knowledge and skills to function in all of these industries should be on the shortlist.”
ManpowerGroup recently illustrated the advent of the grey collar worker, who effectively merges plant floor functional skills with macro industry knowledge, in the infographic “Manufacturing’s New Working Collar.” Learn more in this thought leadership piece, “The Future of the Manufacturing Workforce.”
“Across trade jobs, multi-sector knowledge plus functional skills are today’s new essential skill set,” said ManpowerGroup president Jonas Prising. “Workers need to seamlessly move between the field and management offices where instant decisions about improving processes, services and products are made. This unique skill set is in high demand, particularly in hot spots that lack onsite job training options. Faced with low supply, employers are turning to recruiting experts to accelerate their search for employees with cross-functional knowledge.”
Of the more than 18,000 U.S. employers surveyed in the second quarter Manpower Employment Outlook Survey results, 18 percent expect to add to their workforces, while 5 percent expect a decrease in payrolls, resulting in a Net Employment Outlook of +13 percent. When seasonally adjusted, the Net Employment Outlook is +11 percent, a 1 percentage point decrease from the first quarter and slightly elevated from +10 percent during the same period last year.
Also, 73 percent of employers expect no change in their hiring plans. For more detail on the survey results, visit http://www.manpowergroup.com/press/meos_landing.cfm.
