MILWAUKEE, July 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, and Competitive Wisconsin, Inc. (CWI) have partnered to assist Wisconsin's business, government, and academic leaders address the state's short-term skills gap and its longer-term need to build a sustainable and globally competitive talent pool that empowers workers and meets employers' needs.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110330/CG73938LOGO-a)

The initiative — part of CWI's ongoing Be Bold efforts to develop and advocate for strategic policies to enhance how Wisconsin competes, grows jobs and strengthens its economy — clarifies how producing clusters of in-demand skilled workers could help the current workforce, support employers and position Wisconsin as a top destination state for both talent and businesses.

"For Wisconsin's growing economy to thrive in the Human Age — an era in which skilled talent is increasingly scarce — the state's employers will require a skilled workforce here in Wisconsin and improved national, regional and global access to talent through contemporary work models," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup President of the Americas and Chairman of Junior Achievement USA.

ManpowerGroup Solutions, the company's outcome-based and talent-driven solutions business, is conducting a complex analysis of the state's workforce, focused on short- and long-term supply and demand projections in critical industries and select skill clusters. Researchers are also talking with representatives from Wisconsin's education and training workforce ecosystem in an effort to profile best practices.

"Domestically, states short on in-demand talent face high recruitment costs," said Scott T. VanderSanden, President and CEO of AT&T Wisconsin and CWI President. "In turn, states with an over-supply of talent with outdated skills are burdened with rising unemployment which reduces public sector income and increases the need for financial assistance. Examining talent development opportunities across the state's industry sectors and education systems is key to driving the best customized workforce strategy for Wisconsin."

The ManpowerGroup Be Bold 2 study will be completed in September and will serve as a cornerstone of CWI's 2012 Wisconsin Economic Summit Series this fall.

"ManpowerGroup is inspired by the State of Wisconsin's progress toward becoming a world-class model for employment and has contributed toward this goal for 60 years as one of the state's landmark corporations," Prising added. "As a global company headquartered in Wisconsin, ManpowerGroup also has a vested interest in enhancing the competitiveness of the state's workforce."

ManpowerGroup works on a range of public-private initiatives worldwide to drive employment. ManpowerGroup endorses 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 nonpolitical consortium of agriculture, business, education and labor leaders in Wisconsin who work together to focus attention on the state's competitiveness. CWI's mission is to improve the economic climate of Wisconsin in order to encourage the expansion of existing businesses and enhance the possibility of developing and attracting new businesses.

Competitive Wisconsin is currently conducting an extensive examination of work force training and development through a comprehensive study, a series of informational briefings, and several planned summits. The Be Bold 2 study will create strategic workforce and training recommendations that will assist in the implementation of consequential workforce policy. Competitive Wisconsin will continue to work with government, business, education and organization officials to ensure Wisconsin's competitive and economic strength.

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 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.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, being 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 six Fortune 500 CEOs who leverages a Twitter account to get his message out.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup