MILWAUKEE, Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, and Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. (CWI) recently published an extensive report "Be Bold 2: Growing Wisconsin's Talent Pool" which details how Wisconsin's business, government, and academic leaders can tighten the state's skills gap and build a sustainable and globally competitive workforce that accelerates the state's economic growth tract.

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The Be Bold 2 initiative began with an assessment of Wisconsin's supply and demand profile in five skills clusters which generate more than half of the state's gross domestic product (GDP).  Today 6,440 jobs are unfilled in these five critical clusters: Systems & Network Software Development; Nursing & Health-Related; Accounting & Financial Analysis; Mechanical Engineering and Metal Manufacturing. ManpowerGroup's research predicts that if Wisconsin does not take steps to advance these clusters, that figure will exceed 54,000 over the next 10 years.

Be Bold 2 also cites how succeeding in today's economy demands mobility across industries and roles, as employment ecosystems that operate as outdated occupational silos are increasingly ineffective. Contemporary skills clusters group multiple occupations, which share similar skills, to mobilize workers across functions and industries and ultimately multiply their work opportunities. In Wisconsin five critical skills clusters will fuel the growth of six key industry sectors, according to Be Bold 2. See how these clusters align with industry sectors here on page 25 in the Be Bold 2 report.

"Across the United States and other regions around the world, all stakeholders in economic progress must participate in strategizing how to solve a really big problem with serious long-term effects," said ManpowerGroup President of the Americas Jonas Prising.  "Regions making the most progress in solving the world's skills crisis are the result of stakeholders in the employment ecosystem — employers, educators, government and individuals — working cohesively together." 

ManpowerGroup's Talent Shortage Survey has documented, for seven consecutive years, an alarming number of employers who can't find the right skilled talent needed to grow their companies. In the United States, 49% of responding employers reported difficulty filling mission-critical positions within their organizations, reports the 2012 ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage Survey.

"Governments everywhere are increasingly aware that the talent mismatch negatively affects social stability, youth unemployment, and economic competitiveness," Prising added. "They must better anticipate key talent shortages or surpluses that affect their ability to retain and attract employers. Predicting demand for the rightly-skilled talent over time is critical to determining what strategic interventions are required across the regional employment ecosystems."

By presenting three core strategies, CWI is enabling all stakeholders to better pinpoint the needed skills and the path to develop the right individuals for these skills that will position Wisconsin within today's vanguard of states and countries that are effectively working to remedy the skills crisis.

"Having constant insight into new skills in demand is critical so that individuals, employers, educators, etc. can plan ahead," said ManpowerGroup President of Specialty Brands Owen Sullivan. "All stakeholders tend to rely on employer forecasts — which typically focus on specific occupations. This short-term, one-dimensional approach makes it difficult to strategize and integrate career paths and a company's business success.

"Employers need to advance their game, but don't always understand what will drive change and build solidarity and skills understanding among all stakeholders in their companies," Sullivan said. "They hold key information, but inconsistently communicate critical details on needed and projected skills."

"It's not enough to predict whether we'll have the talent employers need and in sufficient numbers," he added.  "We need to communicate training opportunities and jobs to stakeholders at every level in real time.  Individuals need to identify the jobs that will be in demand and the choices on education and training that boosts their employability. Likewise, companies must work with educators to align the right training curriculum and mentoring programs for job candidates." 

Be Bold 2 cites how educators need the information to link in-demand skills with educational and career pathways, while employers need to communicate their needs.  And government needs to recognize that talent is key to driving economic prosperity and take the responsibility to develop a cohesive vision around talent strategy — developed collaboratively with stakeholders across the ecosystem — that is supported by investment.  

"Talent development and acquisition is the key to getting that job done and Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. and the BE BOLD 2 Executive Committee believe this report and the 2012 Wisconsin Economic Summit Series on Growing Wisconsin's Talent Pool will further energize, inform and engage citizen participation in what must be a statewide collaboration to build a future that works for Wisconsin," said CWI Executive Director and Capitol Consultants Managing Partner Bill McCoshen.

As one of Wisconsin's landmark corporations and employers, ManpowerGroup has contributed toward this goal for 60 years as it also gains from boosting the competitiveness of the state's workforce.

ManpowerGroup works on a range of public-private initiatives worldwide to drive employment. ManpowerGroup endorsements include the HR Policy Association's U.S. Blueprint for Jobs in the 21st Century and the Business 20 (B20) Task Force on Employment master plan for boosting global employment. These plans identify public-private sector initiatives for upskilling and placing talent into growing industry sectors. A co-chair on the new B20 task force, Jeff Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO, delivered its priority actions to the G20 last month.

About Competitive Wisconsin, Inc.
Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. is a nonpartisan public policy organization consisting of business, labor, education and agriculture leaders in Wisconsin who work together to focus attention on the state's competitiveness. The organization was founded in 1981 and produced the game-changing Be Bold Wisconsin economic development plan in 2010. BE BOLD 2: Growing Wisconsin's Talent Pool is available on CWI's website, www.competitivewi.com.

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 $22 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 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.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, and was once again the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility.

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. This concept of talentism as the new capitalism continues to resonate and was echoed as a core theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the ManpowerGroup World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success. 

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj. Joerres is one of only 20 Fortune 500 CEOs who leverages a Twitter account to get his message out.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup