Manpower Inc. President of Corporate and Government Affairs David Arkless Takes Part in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Conference and BBC World News Debate on Talent Mismatch and Its Effect on the Global Economic Recovery

PARIS, July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) President of Corporate and Government Affairs David Arkless will today take part in a panel discussion in Paris at the OECD Conference and BBC World News Debate program on the topic "Growing the global economy; is migration the answer?"

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"The talent mismatch is causing tremendous frustration for companies, who are seeing no shortage of applicants coming through their doors, but without the skill fit they need," said Arkless. "It is also incredibly frustrating for the individual, who may have the right skills, but find themselves in the wrong part of the country or the wrong part of the world."

The panel will discuss the improvement in the global economy and how this is exacerbating the talent mismatch as jobs are being created but employers cannot find the right people in the right place to fill them. They will consider how the skills shortage threatens to stall economic growth, how education and training can tackle the mismatch, and whether relaxed migration rules could increase the availability of talent.

Manpower recently released its fifth annual Talent Shortage survey, which showed that despite continuing economic upheaval 31 percent of companies struggle to fill available vacancies. To mitigate this situation, Manpower advises companies to broaden their search for candidates to include industry migrants, location migrants, internal role changers and workforce entrants. Employers must also recalibrate their mindsets to consider candidates who may not have all the specific skills a job requires. This is especially true for systemic shortages of in-demand roles.

Many people are willing to relocate for work and the skills they can bring to their new place of residence will be essential to address the talent mismatch. Training and development are essential to those who are changing industries, taking on a new role within their organization and new workforce entrants. When employers can't find candidates with the full range of skills needed for particular positions, they can recruit candidates, perhaps from outside their industries, who possess adjacent skills with an eye toward filling the gaps in their capabilities – what Manpower calls a "Teachable Fit."

"Tapping into previously untapped labor pools is essential in order to increase the amount of available talent," added Arkless. "Employers need to put the emphasis on training while governments should develop educational tools and systems to meet the needs of the knowledge economy, and encourage the right kind of immigration to get access to the people with the skills they so desperately require. And it's up to the individual to embrace lifelong learning."

In order to widen their skills sets, job seekers should consider temporary or part-time work and get access to training. Manpower's own recently-launched career development social network, MyPath.com, offers a wide selection of online courses and books to help individuals refresh their skills.

Arkless's participation in The World Debate will be recorded 'as live' today and broadcast four times globally on the BBC World News channel over the weekend of 10-11 July. Arkless also leads Manpower's strategic partnership with the World Economic Forum and is a member of the Forum's Executive Committee for the on-going cross-industry multi-stakeholder initiative 'Stimulating Economies Through Fostering Talent Mobility,' which aims to highlight best practices from governments and companies that successfully address talent shortages, and capture recommendations for both countries and companies to improve the skills of their workforces and attract highly skilled workers. The initiative's first findings can be downloaded at http://www.weforum.org/pdf/ip/ps/TalentMobility.pdf. Coming soon: Manpower Inc. will release a white paper on the topic of talent mobility and how strategic migration can be a means to easing the skills mismatch.

About Manpower Inc.

Manpower Inc. (NYSE: MAN) is a world leader in innovative workforce solutions; creating and delivering services that enable its clients to win in the changing world of work. With over 60 years' experience, Manpower offers employers a range of solutions and 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 4,000 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.