ManpowerGroup Study Targets Sustaining Talent Pool Across the Paso del Norte U.S.-Mexico Border

MILWAUKEE, June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, today published workforce recommendations on how to sustain the economically advantageous region of the U.S.-Mexico border following a thorough year-long labor study that leveraged input from regional employers, educators, and workforce development organizations to determine how to upskill and retain talent in North America's largest cross-border metropolis.

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Paso del Norte encompasses El Paso, TX, Dona Ana County, NM, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. With the Paso del Norte Group (PDNG), an association of local business leaders, ManpowerGroup built on Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recommendations for using higher education and training to stimulate economic and workforce development.

"The Paso del Norte region is a reputable economic center seeking to reach its full potential," said David Arkless, ManpowerGroup President of Corporate and Government Affairs.  "With a large manufacturing center in Ciudad Juarez, sophisticated research facilities, a strong defense and aerospace sector and extensive logistics services just north of the border, the region is poised to become a global manufacturing and distribution powerhouse – but only if it can create a more highly skilled workforce that supports its economic vision."

Many of the study's findings, including a lack of work-ready graduates and an entrepreneurial culture, are evident in floundering economies worldwide. In the Human Age, extensive coordination between social and business leaders and educators is key to wisely using and sustaining local resources. The most critical resource is human capital.

In this particular region, economic recovery is steady, but most jobs are in low-wage, low-skill sectors.

"Our goal is to transform the region from a low-cost, low-wage labor market to a world-class center of financial, and intellectual capital, so that our border region becomes a gateway to global trade," said David Buchmueller, PDNG Chief Operating Officer.

ManpowerGroup is presenting the results, which closely resemble the Business 20 (B20) Task Force on Employment priority actions delivered to the G20 this week, to civic groups in all three cities.

"We look forward to working with stakeholders in the region to help put transformative human capital strategies into practice," Arkless added.

The Paso del Norte findings echo ManpowerGroup's 2012 Talent Shortage Survey which shows that almost half of Mexico's employers struggle to fill vacancies as young workers enter the workforce without needed skills. As a result, these workers become trapped in a low-wage, low-skill cycle – bottlenecking the talent pipeline and driving many to seek out higher wage opportunities in the United States.

ManpowerGroup has extensive experience in unleashing talent potential and building economic security in developed and emerging markets, by providing innovative workforce solutions to employers and governments. Global examples of effective public-private workforce initiatives enabled by ManpowerGroup are documented in the Paso del Norte report. They also inspired several B20 Task Force on Employment actions.

About the Paso del Norte Group
The Paso del Norte Group (www.pasodelnortegroup.org) is a membership organization of business and community leaders promoting the economic growth and prosperity of the Paso del Norte Region -- two countries, three states and three major cities with a population of 2.61 million people.  Founded in 2004 with the Commercial Club of Chicago as a model, the Paso del Norte Group promotes the economic, social and cultural vitality of the region by cooperative effort, social interaction and the free exchange of ideas and views.  The Paso del Norte Group has been active in supporting a variety of civic, social and economic initiatives as our region has grown and developed, including the Downtown Redevelopment Committee and the Medical Center of the Americas (www.mcamericas.org), and Innovate-El Paso.

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 3,800 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, and was once again 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