Reinforced Public-Private Collaboration Needed to Better Forecast Skills and Train Tomorrow’s Workforce
MILWAUKEE (4 May 2012) – ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, encourages business leaders to step up and partner with educators to drive and close the skills mismatch in the United States, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today reported that the overall April jobless rate dropped slightly to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent in March, and that the U.S. private sector added only 115,000 new jobs last month. In April, employment in temporary help services improved over the prior month, edging up by 21,000. Jobs were added in professional and business services, retail trade, and health care. Transportation and warehousing lost jobs from March.
“Unless we narrow the talent mismatch gap, unemployment will remain stubbornly high, even as employers project greater hiring optimism,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO. “Business leaders need to act now to establish working partnerships with the colleges, vocational institutions and high schools in the communities where they do business. Employers must proactively identify skills they need from workers into the future, and then collaborate with academic leaders in identifying the right training required. We can no longer afford to have business and education working in silos if we want U.S. communities to compete economically in the Human Age.”
ManpowerGroup recognizes the rising problems of youth unemployment as young workers struggle to enter the workforce and develop careers. This group of workers is most affected by the demographic and economic shifts that have alienated populations across the global economy. ManpowerGroup’s insight paper, “Wanted: Energized, Career-Driven Youth,” addresses this growing issue and suggests business-driven solutions that employers can initiate to enhance partnerships aimed at reforming education.
“Today’s youth are tomorrow’s workforce and this country’s future, and we need to do a better job of making sure they have the opportunity to acquire the necessary work-ready skills that employers are looking for,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup President of the Americas and Chairman of Junior Achievement USA. “Establishing strong partnerships between business and education is a vital driver of bridging the skills gap and accelerating employment success for our future workforce.”
ManpowerGroup and Junior Achievement (JA) partner to provide young people with essential work-readiness skills, focusing on the JA mission of inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. ManpowerGroup is a global sponsor of JA Success Skills, a program that provides 45,000 students with the tools they need to develop the personal skills and strategies that will help ensure long-term career success.
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