Engage Unemployed Youth to Build Workforce Pipelines and Ease Talent Shortages, ManpowerGroup Says, As Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.4%

MILWAUKEE, Aug. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, advises U.S. employers to build sustainable local talent pipelines by engaging unemployed youth, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today reported the overall July jobless rate was 7.4 percent and nearly 8,000 temporary jobs were added.

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"The improvement in the jobless rate and the up-tick in the demand for temporary employment signify that employers are seeing greater demand for goods and services, making them more comfortable with adding to their workforces," said Jeff Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO. "This is prime time for employers to adopt a Teachable Fit approach and focus on engaging our country's youth by providing them with work experience to build the skills they need to launch successful careers and remain employable.  Employers are securing their own futures when they invest in and train today's youth."

Ahead of the United Nations' International Youth Day on Monday, August 12, ManpowerGroup recommends increased collaboration between governments, educators and businesses to improve the employability skills of today's youth around the world and especially in the United States.

"Today's youth are the workforce of tomorrow, and we have an obligation to create opportunities and training to help young people obtain the skills and expertise needed for gainful employment," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup President and current member and former Chairman of the Board of Junior Achievement, United States.  "Many young people feel a sense of hopelessness and see no path to career success. Employers everywhere, especially here in the U.S., need to adjust their mind-sets and commit to win-win strategies that enable youth to acquire new skills and companies to succeed with healthy talent pipelines in their communities."

ManpowerGroup is committed to supporting youth career programs across the United States through its partnerships with local U.S. Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stop Career Centers and Junior Achievement. The company has advanced the career prospects of thousands of young Americans by providing career guidance and job placement counselling through its network of offices and recruitment centers.

In January, Prising participated in the World Economic Forum session, "Preventing a Lost Generation," exploring how leaders can engage 14 million unemployed young people in the workforce.  ManpowerGroup recently released two reports, "How Policy Makers Can Boost Youth Employment" and "Wanted: Energized, Career-Driven Youth."  Both reports recommend strategies to prevent an entire generation from being excluded from the labor market, at a time when ManpowerGroup's research finds that more than 39 percent of U.S. employers (and 35 percent of employers globally) are having difficulty filling open positions.  Both reports can be downloaded from: http://www.manpowergroup.com/wps/wcm/connect/manpowergroup-en/home/thought-leadership/research-insights/

Last year, Joerres co-chaired the B20 Task Force on Employment, which culminated in delivering recommendations for focused actions to inspire sustainable employment creation at the G20 Summit in Mexico.  These recommendations included improving collaboration between business and educational institutions, and creating internships and apprenticeships.

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN) is the world leader in innovative workforce solutions that ensure the talent sustainability of the world's workforce for the good of companies, communities, countries, and individuals themselves. Specializing in solutions that help organizations achieve business agility and workforce flexibility, ManpowerGroup leverages its 65 years of world of work expertise to create the work models, design the people practices and access the talent sources its clients need for the future. From staffing, recruitment, workforce consulting, outsourcing and career management to assessment, training and development, ManpowerGroup delivers the talent to drive the innovation and productivity of organizations in a world where talentism is the dominant economic system. Every day, ManpowerGroup connects more than 630,000 people to work and builds their experience and employability through its relationships with 400,000 clients across 80 countries and territories. ManpowerGroup's suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the third consecutive year in 2013, confirming our position as the most trusted brand in the industry. See how ManpowerGroup makes powering the world of work humanly possible at www.manpowergroup.com. Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: Twitter.com/manpowergroupjj

SOURCE ManpowerGroup