Plugging the skills gap: shortages among plenty explores the issue of the scarcity of skills in a variety of industries, namely construction and engineering, energy and natural resources, life sciences, IT/technology and manufacturing. It also looks at skills gaps in various job functions—and how these are being addressed.
The paper draws on two main sources for its research and findings. Firstly, we conducted a global survey of 248 executives, conducted in March 2012. Forty percent of respondents were C-level or board-level executives, and 62% were from companies with annual revenue in excess of US$500m. Thirty percent of respondents were from Asia-Pacific, 28% from Western Europe and 25% from North America. The remainder hailed from Latin America, Middle East and Africa (6% each), and Eastern Europe (4%). The following industries were surveyed: energy and natural resources/oil and gas (23%), construction and engineering (21%), healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotechnology (20%), IT and technology (19%) and manufacturing (17%).
Next, we conducted a series of in-depth interviews with senior executives from a number of major companies:
- Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder and chairman, Infosys
- Jeff Joerres, CEO and chief executive, ManpowerGroup
- Juergen Maier, managing director for the UK and Ireland, Siemens
- Hugh Mitchell, chief human resources and corporate officer, Royal Dutch Shell
