TORONTO, Feb. 21, 2006 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX News Network) -- Manpower surveyed nearly 33,000 employers across 23 countries and territories in late January, including 1,000 in Canada, to determine the extent to which talent shortages are impacting today's labor markets. The survey results, released today, revealed that 60 per cent of employers in Canada and 40 per cent of employers worldwide are having difficulty filling positions due to the lack of suitable talent available.

"Contributing issues to the talent shortage include: demographic shifts like aging population and lower birth rates; inadequate education programs; globalization; social evolution; and entrepreneurial practices like outsourcing and offshoring," said Lori Procher, Vice President and General Manager for Manpower Canada. "These factors are combining to create a shortage in availability and in specific skills and competencies."

The top 10 jobs that employers are having difficulty filling in Canada are (ranked in order): Sales Representatives, Customer Service Representatives/Customer Support, Engineers, Drivers, Mechanics, Laborers, Chefs/Cooks, Electricians, Skilled Trades, and Nurses.

"Our experience with our clients in Canada has mirrored these results," says Procher. "Among the actions required to address these shortages in the coming years are enhanced links with schools, investment in training, re-skilling and up-skilling employees and flexible use of talent."

Worldwide, employers having the most difficulty finding the right people to fill jobs are those in Mexico (78 per cent reporting shortages), Canada (66 per cent) and Japan (58 per cent). The talent shortage appears to be least problematic in India, where only 13 per cent of employers reported having difficulty filling positions.

"Across North America and Asia, the top three talent shortages are identical - sales representatives rank number one, followed by engineers and technicians," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman & CEO of Manpower Inc. "Employers are telling us that they are not just looking for bodies to fill sales jobs, they want experienced sales people who know their respective industries and can drive revenues.

"As employers compete for talent in these hot job categories, we will see salary and compensation packages escalating rapidly. Anyone who is currently searching for a new job or a different career path should seriously consider the results of this survey, and set their sights on getting the education and training required to pursue one of these promising career paths," Joerres advised.

Today's survey announcement coincides with the publication of a new Manpower White Paper, "Confronting the Coming Talent Crunch: What's Next?" The white paper highlights the growing talent shortages around the world and what businesses, government and individuals should be doing to adapt their human resource strategies. Visit manpower.ca for a copy of the white paper.

Joerres added, "In 10 years, we will see many businesses failing because they haven't planned ahead for the talent shortage and are unable to find the people they need to run their businesses. This is not a cyclical trend, as we have seen in the past, this time the talent crunch is for real, and it's going to last for decades."

    Note to editors

    To obtain the full Manpower Talent Shortage Survey results, click on the
    following link: manpower.ca.

    About Manpower Inc.

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in the employment services industry; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. The $16 billion company offers employers a range of services for the entire employment and business cycle including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment; employee assessment and selection; training; outplacement; outsourcing and consulting. Manpower's worldwide network of 4,400 offices in 72 countries and territories enables the company to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, including small and medium size enterprises in all industry sectors, as well as the world's largest multinational corporations. The focus of Manpower's work is on raising productivity through improved quality, efficiency and cost-reduction across their total workforce, enabling clients to concentrate on their core business activities. Manpower Inc. operates under five brands: Manpower, Manpower Professional, Elan, Jefferson Wells and Right Management. More information on Manpower Inc. is available at www.manpower.com.

Celebrating 50 years, Manpower Canada's employment services delivered through its network of over 50 offices, include administrative, industrial, skilled trades and contact centre personnel as well as the assignment of contract professionals in information technology, scientific, finance, engineering, telecommunications and other professional areas under the Manpower Professional brand. More information on the company can be found on Manpower Canada's Web sites, manpower.ca and manpowerprofessional.ca.

SOURCE: Manpower Inc.

Contact: John Settino, The iPR Group, (416) 901-5963, john@theiprgroup.ca

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