Manpower Inc. Participates in 40th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Manpower Inc., a world leader in the employment services industry, is a proud strategic partner of the World Economic Forum. At this year's Forum, taking place from 27 - 31 January, Manpower will lead discussions about the pressures that global businesses and world leaders are facing to rethink, redesign and rebuild global labor markets.  

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Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO; David Arkless, Manpower's President of Global Corporate and Government Affairs; Barbara Beck, President of Manpower's EMEA operations; and Francoise Gri, Manpower's Executive Vice President of France will be participating in several sessions during the Forum.  

WEDNESDAY 27 JANUARY

Jeff Joerres, and the Manpower Executive Board Members attending the Forum, will first participate in the Skill Creation: The Future of Employment session, 09.00-10.15. This session will explore the conundrum between rising unemployment rates and the continued shortage of skilled workers - there are still 2.6 million jobs unfilled in the US and 4 million in Europe. As a panelist, Joerres will share his expertise in discussions about how to address the imbalances in human capital and achieve a sustainable post-crisis recovery.

At 13.30, David Arkless will be a discussion leader in: World Economic Forum Brainstorming: Redefining the Global Commons, 13.30-15.00. In this session, world business leaders will address the issue that even though there is universal awareness that we live in an interdependent world full of risks and governance gaps, there is no shared agreement on what comprises the global commons. The discussion aims to answer the question: how should the global commons be redefined in an era when the internet is critical to commerce and rain forests to fight climate change?

THURSDAY 28 JANUARY

As a strong advocate for the role of women in business, Barbara Beck will be a discussion leader in the session: Achieving Gender Parity: What Works? 08.00-10.15. The gender parity communities of the Forum have been working over the last two years at the global and regional level to benchmark the gaps in opportunity between women and men. In this session, a broad set of stakeholders will come together to review groundbreaking solutions for closing gender gaps.

On the same day, Arkless will be a discussion leader at the Ideas Lab on the Global Redesign Initiative (Global Risks) session, 13.30-15.00. The goal will be to improve international cooperation on the pressing challenges of the 21st century, exploring how to bridge the talent mismatch.  Francoise Gri will also attend this session.  

FRIDAY 29 JANUARY

On the final day of the Forum, Joerres will participate in a private session: Social Networks vs. the CEO – is the CEO prepared? from 12.00-14.00. This discussion aims to explore how companies should react to social networks and be prepared to explore the challenges and opportunities that social networks present. Manpower will also publish a white paper covering this topic and launch the world's first social network designed to create work-ready talent pool (www.mypath.com) at the World Economic Forum.

As a Global Compact champion, Manpower has engaged in successful partnerships with the United Nations. Joerres will take part in a panel discussion on the importance of UN-Business partnership, 16.00 -17.00. The session will highlight successful partnership projects and underscore the role that the new UN-Business partnership gateway will play in facilitating UN-business collaboration to support the Millennium Development Goals and humanitarian relief in Haiti and elsewhere.

Arkless will lead two sessions on the final day of the Forum. The first will explore the vital role of talent in this new era:  Cross-Industry WorkSpace Session: Entering the Era of Mobile Talent, 08.00-10.15.  The second, Peak Performance in Business: Optimizing the Return on Investment of a Healthy Workforce, 12.15-14.00, will address the costly consequences of workforce health.  

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. With over 60 years' experience, the $22 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 4,100 offices in 82 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.

SOURCE Manpower Inc.