Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and chief executive officer, Manpower Inc.
Executive says finding the right talent is getting increasingly hardBEIJING - The history of mankind has long been defined by specific eras.
Initially, humans were defined by the basic materials that transformed them - the Stone Age, the Iron Age and the Bronze Age. Afterward came social transformations represented in art, architecture and science, such as the Reformation and the Enlightenment. More recently they were characterized by the domains people conquered with ever-improving technology - the Industrial Age, the Space Age and the Information Age.
Now, Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and chief executive officer of global employment service provider Manpower Inc, is introducing the notion that a new era is upon us: the Human Age.
"History has shown us that the human has been behind ingenuity and innovation. Now, it will be human potential itself that becomes the new major driver of economic growth, from an economical, political and social standpoint," Joerres said in an interview with China Daily.
"We are now on the cusp of a new reality, in which humans are becoming the world's only source of inspiration and innovation. We are entering the Human Age," he said.
What has caused the dawn of the Human Age? Joerres believes the economic depression, rapid technological development, a shifting demographic landscape and the rising power of emerging markets are the main factors that bring about the Human Age.
As the global economy shifts into recovery, we are seeing huge growth centered on developing economies, meaning the demand for specific skills and behaviors is outstripping supply and training capacity, he said.
"More nations are moving from developing to developed status, and the ranks of affluent middle-classes are spreading from China to India, from Indonesia to Brazil - further increasing the demand on domestic markets. These emerging power centers need more highly skilled individuals, trained to international standards, than currently exist," he added.
Although the majority of employers have discovered that the right talent is critical to business success, the precise talents are becoming increasingly difficult to find, creating a mismatch between available skills and what is needed by employers.
"Today, employers, particularly in Asia, are struggling with a mismatch - finding the right talent in the right place at the right time. This is why the apparent paradox of high levels of unemployment and job vacancies can coexist," Joerres said.
More than 30 percent of employers around the world are reporting difficulty filling key positions within their companies, according to Manpower's recent Talent Shortage Survey of more than 35,000 employers across 36 countries.
"Talent isn't just people; it's more than people. It's people with the specific skills, behaviors and the way of operating, for example, in a chaotic, global environment, that fits the needs of an organization," he said.
Joerres said in the past, for companies to move ahead and grow their businesses they needed access to capital. Now the situation has changed. It matters less whether countries and companies can access the capital they need and more if they can attract the talent they need to win.
"We will see talent and human potential itself replace available capital as the new dominant resource. That is, capitalism is shifting to Talentism. Talent - as capital once was - is becoming not only a scarce resource, but the key competitive differentiator," he said.
As always, it is easier said than done. Based on his 18 years of experience in human resources with Manpower, Joerres provides some measures that employers and individuals should take to ensure they can succeed in the Human Age.
To thrive and grow, employers need to ensure that they have updated their assumptions around people practices and work models to fit the reality of the 21st century employment landscape.
Realizing that they truly can do more for less, companies must now become more agile in how they attract, train and develop their employees - ensuring they have the best possible environment to unlock the creativity, innovation, empathy, passion and intellectual curiosity that are at the very core of what it means to be human.
They must use these tools to ensure they are developing and unleashing the raw potential of their people and must be committed to identifying and investing in their talent strategy for the next five to 10 years at least.
They will also need to engage and motivate older workers to remain in the workforce longer, and find a way to engage and train their youth, particularly by aligning training and education systems with the skills required by employers.
For individuals, they need to pay attention to the implications of the Human Age just as much as employers.
The rate of change in the Human Age will be faster than ever before, particularly when it comes to technology. Skills will rapidly become outdated and individuals will need to maintain a "learning mindset" to ensure they continue to develop and unleash their human potential throughout their careers.
The world is undergoing a transformation, reshaping the global labor market and redefining how organizations and individuals act in a global environment.
"The Human Age marks the pinnacle of this journey, when the raw potential of human beings finally takes center stage," said Joerres. "It presents a challenging and exciting opportunity for organizations to leverage the potential of their greatest asset - their people - to drive the business forward."
