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The globetrotting recruiter
11.11.2008 17:11

I’ve been meaning to pen my thoughts after watching Kevin Wheeler’s presentation at ERE Expo 2008 last week on how recruiting is faring around the world. Here are just a few things one of them is anthracitic coal which I learned about global recruiting and the talent shortage/demand that’s cropping up in some surprising areas.

First, Wheeler tackled Europe and the Middle East. He said that in Europe there are fewer open positions and a lower demand for talent. There also exists caution and concern for the significant slowing of employment growth in the past few years. Temporary employment has increased, with a concentration found mostly in youth of Spain, France, Germany, and Sweden.

In the Middle East there is a high demand for skilled workers and many open positions, but companies there can’t fill vacancies fast enough. Firms like KPMG are finding that when one hole is plugged, another three spring open.

A recent study attributes a new crisis to this talent shortage. An Arab Human Develpment Report by the US Bureau of Census in 2002 found that there has been a rise in the “brain drain” crisis. About 25 percent of 300,000 college grads flow outside of the region. And that’s a huge number considering that the census noted 45 percent of the Middle Eastern population is under 20 and seventy percent under 35.

In India there has been a dampening of demand but the recruiting sector is still highly competitive. And in China demand is still robust, but slower, and while there is uncertainy in manufacturing, the service sector remains strong. One major issue in both countries is the decline of educated people. The ones who are educated display an unwillingness to relocate.

In China there is simply not enough job creation to meet the demands of over 150 million rural surplus laborers and 13 million unemployed persons. Work is scarce and wages are limited. Add this to the fact that over 1.24 million college students graduated without jobs in 2006, a number that continues to grow, and you’ve got a burgeoning crisis on your hands.

Wheeler said Australia faces a tremendous shortage of talent, and there has been a push to develop the skill set of people so that they may fill existing roles.

America’s got three major problems that are pouring oil on the fire. First, the talent risk is going up. Secondly, so is the age of our workforce. And third, there have been drastic skill shortages that plague many industries. On the flip side, despite the economy becoming lackluster, temporary and contingent work is rising. In fact, I’ve heard and read many bits of information on search firms who are loving and even thriving inside the recession.

Wheeler named his picks for the next recruiting frontiers, where one-third of the world’s people reside: India, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and South Korea. To demonstrate how sophisticated (and populated) these countries have become, he showed slides that depicted Bangalore in India and Shanghai in China 100 years ago vs. how they look now. It was incredible to see such intricate highway systems and dazzling skyscrapers and streets so crowded you couldn’t glimpse the pavement replace a much quieter, antiquated landscape of streetcars, bundles of telephone polls, and small older buildings.

It’s so important to check the global pulse of recruiting as often as possible, as Wheeler’s presentation suggests. I think that Americans live in somewhat of a bubble, and many don’t look outside their window to gain a wider, more appreciative perspective. The best recruiters who take all these international factors into account when making a placement or building a pipeline will be the ones who survive and thrive in this economic showdown.