JOHANNESBURG: The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey of local hiring trends released today, reveals that South African employers are reporting cautious third quarter hiring intentions. Once seasonal variations* are removed from the data, South Africa’s Net Employment Outlook stands at a modest +3%. When compared with the previous quarter, hiring intentions are unchanged, while year-over-year, the Outlook is 8 percentage points weaker.

“Employer hiring expectations are stuck in low gear. For the third consecutive quarter, employers report conservative hiring plans. While our data indicate some modest job growth over the next three months, overall employer confidence continues to be subdued, and the Outlook remains at its weakest level since the survey began in 2006,” comments Peter Winn, Manpower South Africa Managing Director. “However, this reserved hiring environment may be affected by the new legislation to be implemented by the ruling government after the recent national democratic elections. Employees are positive and looking forward to the creation and roll-out of employment opportunities as promised by these authorities during their election campaigns. In the meantime, over eight of every 10 employers have indicated that they will keep their workforces intact for the next three months, signifying relative stability in the workplace through until the end of September.”

This survey for the third quarter of 2011 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 750 employers in South Africa, where all survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of September 2011 as compared to the current quarter?” While 7 percent of employers expected to increase staffing levels, 8 percent forecast a decrease and 84 percent said they expected to maintain their current workforces intact during the July - September time period.

With a modest +3% for the third consecutive quarter, the Net Employment Outlook for South Africa matches the weakest forecast reported by employers since the survey began in the fourth quarter of 2006. Even though third-quarter hiring intentions are mostly positive, employers in seven of 10 industry sectors and four of five regions report weaker quarter-over-quarter hiring plans.

In a regional comparison, employers in four of the five regions forecast an increase in third-quarter staffing levels. Opportunities for job seekers are strongest in Free State, with a Net Employment Outlook of +6%, while modest headcount growth is anticipated in Gauteng, with an Outlook of +4%, and Western Cape, where employers report an Outlook of +3%. Kwazulu Natal employers report cautious hiring plans with a Net Employment Outlook of +1%. In Eastern Cape, employers report uncertain hiring prospects with an Outlook of -1%.

Quarter-over-quarter, hiring intensions remain relatively stable in four of the five regions: Free State, Western Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape. In Kwazulu Natal, the Outlook is slightly weaker by 2 percentage points than the previous quarter.

Year-over-year, the Outlook weakens in four of the five regions. The Eastern Cape Outlook declines by 12 percentage points and employers in Western Cape report a 10 percentage point decrease. In Gauteng, employers report a decline of 7 percentage points, while the Kwazulu Natal Outlook weakens by 6 percentage points. The Outlook remains fairly stable in Free State.

Employers in seven of the 10 industry sectors predict an increase in staffing levels during the upcoming quarter. Strong hiring expectations are reported in the Mining & Quarrying sector, where the Outlook stands at +20%. Elsewhere, employers in the Electricity, Gas & Water Supply sector report an Outlook of +5%, and modest Outlooks of +3% are reported in the Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry & Fishing, Manufacturing and Public & Social sectors. Meanwhile, negative hiring intentions are forecast in the Construction sector, with an Outlook of -4% and weaker hiring expectations are reported by employers in the Restaurant and Hotel sector with a -1% Outlook. Five industry sectors – Restaurants & Hotels, Electricity, Gas & Water Supply, Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Business Services, Public & Social and Wholesale & Retail Trade – report their least optimistic forecasts since the survey began in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Quarter-over-quarter, employers in seven of the 10 industry sectors report weaker hiring prospects. The most notable decline of 7 percentage points is reported by Restaurants & Hotels sector employers, while in the Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Business Services sector, the Outlook weakens by 5 percentage points. Meanwhile, the strongest hiring prospects are reported in the Manufacturing sector, where the Outlook improves by 9 percentage points, and the Mining & Quarrying sector, with an 8- point increase.

Year-over-year, employers in eight of the 10 industry sectors expect the Outlook to decline, with considerable declines of 18 and 17 percentage points reported in the Outlooks for the Restaurants & Hotels sector and the Wholesale & Retail Trade sector, respectively.

Internationally, employers in 35 of the 39 countries and territories Manpower surveyed expect to add to their workforces to varying degrees over the next three months. Employers in India, Brazil, Taiwan and Turkey report the strongest third-quarter hiring plans, while those in Spain, Greece, Italy and Ireland report the weakest—and only negative—hiring forecasts. The hiring pace is expected to improve from three months ago in 20 of 39 countries and territories. The hiring pace is expected to improve in 24 of the 36 countries and territories where year-over-year comparisons are possible.

Globally, job prospects continue to be strongest in the Asia Pacific region. However, some of the hiring from the previous quarter was evidently absorbed with Net Employment Outlooks decreasing slightly from three months ago in five of eight countries—Australia, India, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan. Year-over-year Outlooks rose in just five of eight countries and territories.

In the EMEA region, employers report positive hiring intentions in 17 of the 21 countries surveyed. Individual Outlooks improve in 13 of 21 countries from three months ago and year-over-year.  Similar to the second quarter, regional hiring plans are strongest in the Eastern European countries of Turkey and Romania and weakest in Spain and Greece.

“The year-over-year improvements across all major geographies are good news; additionally, the emerging markets continue their optimism. This is not to say that companies are not remaining somewhat cautious – they are – however they are steadily coming off the ‘no change’ fence,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman and CEO of ManpowerGroup. “Each market is not without its own set of supply and demand challenges. For example, many of our clients in developed markets are beginning to feel the talent crunch as aging workers retire; clients in emerging markets may have a surplus of candidates who often don’t possess the level of education, skills and experience required for the job. The growing skills shortage will affect virtually every industry and every economy in the Human Age; and businesses, educators and governments must collaborate to find innovative ways to align learning and skills development with business needs to ensure future economic growth.”

* Seasonal adjustments applied to the data make it possible to review the data without the employment fluctuations that “normally” occur at the same time each year, thus providing a clearer picture of labor market trends over time.
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14 Percent of Employers in  South Africa: Struggling to Fill Jobs, Compared to the global average (34 percent) whereas it is 10 percent more than Poland’s 4 percent where talent shortage appears to be least problematic and significantly lower than Japan where 80 percent of employers are having the most difficulty finding the right talent to fill job

South Africa – Manpower South Africa released the results of its 5^th talent shortage survey, revealing 14% of employers in South Africa are experiencing difficulty filling mission-critical positions within their organisations. ManpowerGroup’s 6^th annual Talent Shortage Survey reveals one in three employers worldwide are struggling to fill key vacancies.

Currently in South Africa, the jobs employers have most difficulty filling are Drivers, Machinists/ Machine Operators and Accounting & finance staff whereas during 2010, Skilled Trades was the most difficult position to fill, while in 2011 the pressure has been reduced and it now takes up 5^th position with Administrative assistants/office staff and chefs taking up the 9^th and 10^th positions respectively.

Peter Winn, Manpower South Africa Managing Director said: “While not all employers are feeling the strain associated with the global talent shortage, external forces will mostly likely result in them soon feeling the pressure. Businesses need to adopt a long-term approach to ensure they have the talent they need to achieve their business objectives. While talent cannot be “manufactured” in the short term, a robust workforce strategy will ensure a company’s business strategy is supported by having the talented people they need to execute it.”

Jobs most in demand in 2011 in South Africa	Jobs most in demand in 2010 in South Africa
1.       Drivers	1.       Skilled Trades
2.       Machinist/ Machine Operator	2.       Engineers
3.       Accounting & finance staff	3.       Management/ Executive (Management/           Corporate)
4.       Supervisors	4.       Sales Representatives
5.       Skilled Trades	5.       Teachers
6.       Sales Representatives	6.       Chefs/ Cooks
7.       Teachers	7.       Insurance staff (Qualified Brokers, Clerks etc)
8.       Doctors and other non-nursing health           professionals	8.       Secretaries, PAs, Administrative assistants &          Office support staff
9.       Secretaries, PAs, Administrative assistants &           Office support staff	9.       Drivers
10.   Chefs/ Cooks	10.   Accounting & finance staff

ManpowerGroup’s Fresh Perspectives Paper, “Manufacturing Talent for the Human Age”, also released today, makes recommendations on how employers should address the conundrum of a scarcity of talent in the face of an abundance of available workers. It includes a holistic workforce strategy, updating work models and people practices to reflect the realities of the 21^st Century and collaborating with governments, education and individuals.

“The fact that companies are citing a lack of skills or experience as a reason for talent shortages should be a wake-up call for organisations, the education sector, government and individuals,” added Winn. “It is imperative that these stakeholders work together to address the supply-and-demand imbalance in the labour market in a systematic, agile and sustainable way.”

Globally, employers experiencing the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs are those in Japan (80%), India (67%), Brazil (57%), Australia (54%), Taiwan (54%), Romania (53%), USA (52%), Argentina (51%), Turkey (48%), Switzerland (46%), New Zealand (44%), Singapore (44%), Bulgaria (42%), Hong Kong (42%) and Mexico (42%).

In South Africa, the survey found that 14% of employers are having difficulty filling key job vacancies. This is an improvement from 16% in 2010 and 35% in 2009. The 2009 figure represents the environment prior to the recession, where there was a massive drop in accounts for business organisations who worked optimally during the recession, realising that they can do more with less.

The hardest jobs to fill in South Africa are drivers, followed by Machinist/ Machine Operator and Accounting & finance staff. Employers in Japan (80%), India (67%) and Brazil (57%) are having the greatest difficulty finding the required talent, while those in Poland (4%), Ireland (5%) and Norway (9%) report the least difficulty.

Full results of ManpowerGroup’s 6^th annual Talent Shortage Survey and Fresh Perspectives Paper ’Manufacturing’ Talent for the Human Age” can be downloaded at www.manpowergroup.com/researchcenter

ENDS/

 

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Note to Editors
ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) surveyed nearly 40,000 employers across 39 countries and territories in the first quarter of 2011 to determine the extent in which talent shortages are impacting global labor markets.

About Manpower South Africa
Manpower South Africa is the local subsidiary of Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN), a world leader in the employment services industry.

Manpower South Africa was established in 1999, and since inception, has built the reputation as an expert talent acquisition and staffing provider in the Finance, Engineering, IT, Office Support, and Industrial sectors. Manpower South Africa currently operates 12 specialist branches across South Africa.  For more information, visit www.manpower.co.za.

About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $19 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world’s largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined – because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowerceo.

 

Talent is the New “it” as Human Potential Rises Up as the New Driver of Economic Growth

ManpowerGroup. (NYSE:MAN), world leader in innovative workforce solutions, announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the dawn of a new world era, the Human Age.

Previous eras were defined first by the raw materials that transformed them – the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age, then they were characterised by the domains people conquered with ever-improving technology – the Industrial Age, Space Age and Information Age. Now we’re entering a new age: The Human Age. Manpower confirms that this new reality has significant implications both for employers and for individuals, as human potential now becomes the major agent of economic growth. The world is experiencing an era of great transformation, where business models will have to be redesigned, value propositions redefined and social systems reinvented. Existing models and social systems have been strained to the point that they’re no longer sustainable. The resulting chaos and post-recession pressure to do more with less is creating a very challenging environment.

Some of the world’s most powerful business, political and academic leaders attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, which provides an unrivalled platform to shape the global agenda and catalyse solutions at the start of each year.

“Our ability as companies, as governments and of course as individuals to adjust to this new reality, this new way of doing things, will depend upon to what extent we can tap into inner human potential – talent has become the key differentiator,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman and CEO of ManpowerGroup. “Understanding how to unleash this spirit, passion and potential is not a one-size-fits-all approach and will require employers to engage with their people on a human level.”

Global forces also at play, including the recession, rapid technological development, a shifting demographic landscape and the rise in power of emerging markets are conspiring to bring about the Human Age, and the velocity of change is increasing. The effects of these forces can be felt everywhere including in South Africa.

Peter Winn, Manpower South Africa Managing Director comments, “Through the recession and now into the recovery, many organisations have streamlined and redefined their people practices, cutting costs while driving efficiency. Consequently, many companies have come to realise that if they are able to unlock the potential of the right people in the right place, they can achieve all they did before and more – even in a challenging environment.”

“This pressure is driving innovation and passion in a way never seen before” continues Winn. “We are hearing from our clients that the right talent is more important than ever, but at the same time, talent is becoming a scarce resource; employers are struggling with a mismatch - finding the right talent in the right place at the right time, despite relatively high levels of unemployment.” According to Manpower’s most recent Talent Shortage Survey of more than 35,000 employers across 36 countries, more than 30% are struggling to fill key jobs that are vital to the success of their organisation. In South Africa, employers named Skilled Trades as the most difficult positions to fill, moving up from 13^th place in 2009. This is followed by talent shortages in Engineers, Management/Executives (Management/Corporate), Sales Representative and Teachers jobs. With a growing talent shortage in Chefs/Cooks positions, it has been ranked as the 7^th most difficult position to fill, up from 19^th place in 2009.

“Talent isn’t just people, it’s more than people,” commented Winn. “It’s the person that fits what you need right now; the skills, the behaviours, the way of operating; the ability to operate in a chaotic, global environment. Talent is specific. In the past, for companies to grow their business, they needed access to capital. What we’re seeing now and what we’re hearing from the companies we’re dealing with is that in order to get ahead you have to have access to talent – not just capital. As this process evolves, we’ll see capitalism shifting to talentism, and access to talent, rather than capital, become the definitive competitive advantage.”

In the Human Age, it is more important than ever that companies take the time to understand exactly what their talent needs will be, not just now but five or ten years down the line - and align their talent strategy closely with their business strategy. Then, they must become more agile in terms of how they attract, retain and develop their employees. Employers need to ensure that they update their work models and people practices to allow them to unlock the potential that they need to thrive in this new reality.

Technology and the growth of social media have led to a new level of transparency and the ability to directly engage and have a human-to-human conversation with almost anyone – whether as employer to employee or retailer to consumer.

The Human Age presents a challenging and exciting opportunity for organisations to leverage the potential of their greatest asset – their people – to drive the business forward. The recession, combined with advances in technology, expectations of business transparency and social mobility, have brought us to the cusp of a new age. Now, governments, businesses and individuals must work together to unleash the potential of the human spirit, that will help us to make sense of this new era. 

20 Epic Shifts to the Human Age

YESTERDAY	TOMORROW
Industrial/Information Ages	The Human Age
Capitalism	Talentism
Access to capital the differentiator	Access to talent the differentiator
Driven by owners and companies	Driven by skilled individuals
Workers chasing companies	Companies chasing workers
Companies dictate terms	Employees dictate terms
Workers living near (or from) place of work	Workers living (or from) anywhere
Talent glut	Talent shortage
Unemployment from over-supply	Unemployment from specific demand
Technology the enslaver	Technology the liberator
Closed borders	Open borders
Migration rare	Migration commonplace
Job for life	10-14 jobs by age 38
Corporate opacity; secretiveness	Corporate transparency; openness, human approach
OECD countries growing and dominant	Non-OECD countries growing and dominant – BRIC-MIST, esp. China, India, Africa
Work for an organisation	Work with an organisation
Be lean and mean	Look out, not in
Size matters	Agility matters
Hire power	Hire passion
Command and control	Flexible frameworks

 

About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $19 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined — because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

About Manpower South Africa
Manpower South Africa is the local subsidiary of Manpower Group (NYSE: MAN), a world leader in the employment services industry.

Manpower South Africa was established in 1999, and since inception, has built the reputation as an expert talent acquisition and staffing provider in the Finance, Engineering, IT, Office Support, and Industrial sectors. Manpower South Africa currently operates 12 specialist branches across South Africa.  For more information, visit www.manpower.co.za.

Ends/

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Activate all the dynamics of your brand, from internal newsletters to annual reports. Make sure your staff are all on the same page.

 

• Crisis Communication: we will aid you in setting up processes and methods for handling critical events; managing media relations during periods of heightened awareness and keeping your head – and image – above water.
• Change Communication: from mergers and acquisitions to restructuring, we are here to help you and your customers and clients through all future developments.
• Investor Relations: disseminating qualitatively and quantitatively accurate financial information, high class investor events, financial media relations, investor data base management.
• Corporate Video: as an essential part of creating a brand vision within a company, Chatroom specialises in capturing the essential details of your work.

Corporate PR, Brand PR, Corporate Communication, Advertising: Chatroom has been appointed to handle Public Relations and Brand Management. Chatroom has been supporting Manpower SA with strategic Media Relations, as well as an internal and external Brand Awareness Campaign, comprising of Events, PR and Advertising.  

 

	For our ongoing PR, Chatroom has been awarded the PRISM Award in the Business to Business category by the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA).   read more >>

Objectives of the campaign

• Position Manpower in the South African employment services market as staffing experts with local expertise and global best practice knowledge
• Create brand awareness through creative, cost-effective initiatives and consistent use of the brand externally and internally
• Change prevailing perception (association with the previous South African labour department)

 

Action Steps

• Position Manpower as experts in the world of work through White Papers
• Disseminate Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) to specialist journalists
• Develop and implement a Brand Awareness Campaign for a broad target audience
• Streamline communication tools, i.e. website, printed material and advertisements
• Implement the Manpower global brand guidelines, including key terminology
• Living the Manpower brand through internal branding activities

 

Outcome

• Ongoing media coverage in business, finance and trade publications
• Manpower Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) regarded and requested by publications as credible source and indicator for industry information and trends
• Interviews on current affairs across all media
• Consistent Brand Identity across all media and company culture
• Brand Awareness Campaign covering radio, outdoor, online and print

 

Client Profile

Manpower SA is a division of global employment services giant Manpower Incorporated.

  

website of Manpower South Africa