Manpower Spots 4 Big Trends Transforming The Wide World Of Work

Manpower Inc., a global employment services firm and strategic partner of the 2013 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, says it has spotted four important trends in the wide world of work.

75% of employees access social media at work.

These four World of Work Mega Trends are transforming where, when, why and how individuals and companies work, according to Manpower.

“In recent weeks, the status and significance of the rapidly expanding temporary workforce has been widely discussed – and woefully misunderstood,” said Jeff Joerres, Manpower Inc. Chairman and CEO.

“Companies will increasingly look to temporary workers to gain the flexibility and agility required to appropriately and strategically adjust to consumer demand,” Joerres said. “At the same time, individuals are increasingly exercising more choice when it comes to pursuing employment that meets their expectations and taps their motivations.”

Manpower says these four trends should be top concerns for business leaders worldwide when planning their workforce management strategy.

The World of Work Mega Trends:

• The Talent Mismatch is deepening as the working age population declines and the nature of work changes. These significant shifts in talent supply are transforming the global labor market.

• Individual Choice will be exercised by those with the skills that are most in demand, requiring companies to think differently about how jobs are defined and how they will attract and retain scarce talent.

• Rising Customer Sophistication requires businesses to work in a new way, driven by innovation and delivering greater value and efficiency.

• Technological Revolutions have the power to change where, when and how we work, enabling organizations to be more agile and innovative – if they know how to leverage it.

Business leaders around the world will need to ask themselves what the trends mean.

Organizations need to carefully consider their people practices, a critical element to navigating the changing world of work.

“As the economy rebounds, companies will need to prepare for a new normal, carefully adjusting their business strategy and evaluating their workforce,” Joerres said. “In the past, access to capital gave companies their edge; soon talent will become the competitive differentiator and companies will compete for talent as rigorously as individuals now compete for jobs.

“Given these trends, the temporary workforce will lead the way as the world recovers and companies are forced to do more with less and meet consumers’ ever-rising expectations,” Joerres added. “To attract and retain these ‘workforce accelerators’ who offer highly specialized skills, smart companies will strive to create a workplace culture that is healthy, flexible and satisfying.”

Mega Trends Executive Summary Available

An executive summary of Manpower’s World of Work Trends is available at www.manpower.com/worldofwork. A sample of the yearlong body of research providing context and background for the trends is available http://www.manpower.com/research/research.cfm.

These white papers are:

• The 1Q2010 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey: This forward-looking survey examines the hiring activities for 1Q2010 across 35 countries and territories.

• The Global Talent Crunch: Why Employer Branding Matters Now: This paper discusses the results of our 2009 Talent Shortage Survey and the need for organizations to build their employer brand in order to attract and retain the talent they need.

• Rules of Engagement: Harnessing the Potential of the Contingent Workforce: This paper describes why more organizations are turning to contingent employees to help them achieve strategic goals and better manage risk.

• Social Networks vs. Management? Harness the Power of Social Media: This paper shows how on-the-job use of social networks by employees holds the potential to transform the world of work

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