Talent shortages in the United States have risen to historical levels with 69% of employers having difficulty filling jobs--the highest in more than a decade.
In-Demand Roles in the United States
Skilled trades positions remain some of the toughest roles to fill on this year's list followed by IT and sales and marketing. View the hardest-to-fill roles in the United States.
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GLOBAL
GLOBAL
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
BULGARIA
CANADA
CHINA
COLOMBIA
COSTA RICA
CROATIA
CZECH REPUBLIC
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
GUATEMALA
HONG KONG
HUNGARY
INDIA
IRELAND
ISRAEL
ITALY
JAPAN
MEXICO
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
PANAMA
PERU
POLAND
PORTUGAL
ROMANIA
SINGAPORE
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TAIWAN
TURKEY
UK
USA
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
TALENT SHORTAGE BY COMPANY SIZE
GLOBAL
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ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
BULGARIA
CANADA
CHINA
COLOMBIA
COSTA RICA
CROATIA
CZECH REPUBLIC
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
GUATEMALA
HONG KONG
HUNGARY
INDIA
IRELAND
ISRAEL
ITALY
JAPAN
MEXICO
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
PANAMA
PERU
POLAND
PORTUGAL
ROMANIA
SINGAPORE
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TAIWAN
TURKEY
UK
USA
40%
53%
62%
72%
51%
51%
50%
47%
MICRO <10
SMALL 10-49
MEDIUM 50-250
LARGE 250+
A GENERATIONAL VIEWPOINT ON WORK
Aside from pay, flexibility and challenging work, what workers want varies by age, geography and gender.
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ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
BRAZIL
BULGARIA
CANADA
CHINA
COLOMBIA
COSTA RICA
CZECH REPUBLIC
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
GUATEMALA
HONG KONG
HUNGARY
INDIA
IRELAND
ISRAEL
ITALY
JAPAN
MEXICO
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
PANAMA
PERU
POLAND
PORTUGAL
ROMANIA
SINGAPORE
SLOVAKIA
SLOVENIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TAIWAN
TURKEY
UK
USA
17%
Lack of applicants
17%
Lack of experience
27%
Applicants lack required hard skills
13%
Applicants lack required soft skills
10%
Applicants expect higher pay than offered
8%
Applicants expecting better benefits than offered
2%
An issue specific to my organisation
6%
Other/ don’t know
A Generational Viewpoint on Work
Gen Z (age 18-24)
This group is ambitious, hungry for cash and career development, but women and men have different desires. Women prioritize pay twice as much as their next priority – flexible hours – while men say a strong brand, diversity and good health insurance are most important.
Millennial (age 25-34)
Both men and women want flexibility and challenging work. However, flexibility is critical for women whereas for men, it is a nice-to-have. Women continue to do most of the emotional labor and unpaid work at home balancing work around other commitments.
Gen X (age 35-54)
This is when the quest for balance kicks in. Men prioritize flexibility as much as women. They both want the ability to work remotely some of the time and they want their share of parental leave.
Boomers (age 55+)
Driven by pay, challenging work and flexibility, boomers place the highest priority on leadership and teams. The boss they work for and the people they work with matter a great deal as well.
With the pandemic and The Great Resignation fading in significance, one might expect the talent shortage to ease. Not so. A record 75% of U.S. companies are reporting difficulty finding the talent they need. In addition, employer hiring expectations remain high, with 46% of companies planning to add to their staff this quarter.
The new ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage infographic not only reveals the hardest-to-find skills in the country, but also explores the most in-demand skills employers look for, as well as the steps companies can take in order to make the next normal better for all.
01
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Skills required for the most in-demand roles continue to evolve rapidly. See the top 5 sought-after technical skills in the United States.
02
Soft Skills
Soft skills like critical thinking and reliability top the list for employers across industries. See the top 5.
03
INDUSTRY SNAPSHOTS
Find the reported talent shortage stats and hiring outlooks for each U.S. industry.
SOLVE YOUR TALENT SHORTAGE CHALLENGES
As workforce experts, ManpowerGroup finds work for millions of people each year around the world. Find out how we can help your organization find and retain the best talent.
About This Survey
Talent Shortage data identifies the proportion of employers who report difficultly filling positions in their organization. It reports on which jobs employers say are most difficult to fill, and identified candidate shortcomings that are preventing employers from filling positions.