Employers can’t find the staff they want

Seven in every nine employers in Greece face a problem observed worldwide, that of employers’ difficulty in finding employees with skills such as responsibility, critical thinking and analysis, as well as taking the initiative, according to the ManpowerGroup’s annual Talent Shortage Survey.

The findings point to a lack not only in social skills (soft skills) but also in technical skills such as IT, engineering and sales. For this reason, the lack of talent is identified or, to be precise, declared by companies in sectors such as energy, utilities, IT and even tourism.

The survey for 2023, which was conducted on almost 39,000 employers from 41 countries, shows that the vast majority of employers face serious or relative difficulty in finding specialized talent. More specifically, in Greece, 77% of employers – a percentage equal to the global average – report difficulty in finding specialized talent. Globally, employers in Taiwan (90%), Germany (86%), Hong Kong (85%), Portugal (84%) and Puerto Rico (83%) find it more difficult.

Almost three in every 10 (27%) Greek employers who participated in the ManpowerGroup survey say that in terms of soft skills there is a lack of responsibility, reliability and discipline, while 26% say that they do not find talent with critical thinking and analysis.

Leadership and social influence skills are lacking for 24%, while an equal percentage of employers say talent lacks initiative to acquire skills. Finally, 22% consider that there is a lack of cooperation and teamwork skills.

At the level of technical skills, 23% of employers state that IT/data skills are lacking, 19% engineering, 18% human resources, 17% manufacturing/production and 15% sales/marketing. In terms of the industries facing the greatest problem, the survey lists shortages from energy and utilities to manufacturing, healthcare and communication services. More specifically, 96% state that they cannot find talent for the energy and utilities sector, 85% for the industry and construction sector, 84% for the health and life sciences sector, 82% for the communication services sector, 81% for the information technology sector, while for the consumer goods and services (including tourism), finance and real estate and transport, supply chain and automotive sectors the percentages are 70%, 68% and 65%, respectively.