Kelly Services Critical Skills for Building a Sustainable Workforce Lr

7/30/2019 Kelly Services Critical Skills for Building a Sustainable Workforce Lr

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An Asia Pacifc Perspective

Critical Skills for Building aSustainable Workforce

and Leadership Bench Strength


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Executive Summary

Introduction

Prole of respondents

Industries covered

Impact of shortage of mid to senior level talent with the right skills

Critical skills for mid to senior level talent - What is Hot and What is in Shortage?

How organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent

How organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent - by organization size

Finding mid to senior level talent

Critical skills in Banking & Financial Services

Critical skills in Banking & Financial Services

Critical skills in Engineering

Critical skills in Engineering

Critical skills in IT & Telecommunications

Critical skills in IT & Telecommunications

Critical skills in Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical

Critical skills in Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical

Critical skills in Manufacturing

Critical skills in Manufacturing

Conclusion

References

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from Kelly Services.

Highlights


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3

Kelly Skills at Work 2010 is the inaugural study conducted by Kelly Services

to uncover the critical skills requirements and skills shortage among mid tosenior level professionals, as well as to explore the attraction and retentionstrategies and tactics employed by organizations in Asia Pacic in order toremain productive and continue to grow.

Conducted in early 2010, over 1340 senior decision makers from a broad array of industries

participated in the regional study. Close to one-third of the respondents have regional Asia

Pacic responsibilities while the remaining hold local country responsibilities.

The increasingly borderless world, changing workforce demographics and demand for

employees with high skill sets to help organizations grow as the global economy reboundshave created a gap between the supply of skills available in the marketplace and the

requirements of the workforce in many industries. Additionally, the lack of viable talent

available to ll leadership roles is forcing organizations to re-examine the requisite mid to

senior level talent skills in their organizations and how their talent pipelines are built.

The serious shortage of skilled and qualied mid to senior level professionals, cutting across

industry sectors, is having an increasingly negative impact on close to 90 percent of the

organizations surveyed. Ultimately, skills shortages, both technical and soft or people skills,

are limiting organizations abilities to serve the needs of their clients and customers.

This pain is particularly acute within the Engineering, Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical, and IT &

Telecommunications and Retail sectors, as the shortage of mid to senior talent is signicantly

impeding their ability to successfully service clients and customers.

The research uncovered that four of the Top 5 critical skills required of mid to senior level

talent are also those where the greatest shortfalls exist and/or are in shortest supply.

Specically, these include communication, problem solving and decision making, people

management, and strategic thinking.

Across industries, there is a signicant overlay between those skills termed high priority and

those deemed to be in limited supply. Notably, all of the Top 5 skills with the greatest

shortage of mid to senior level talent are among the Top 5 skills that are considered to be

most important for professionals in the Banking and Financial Services sector.

Investing in talent to ensure that there are qualied, experienced and engaged people ready

to ll key leadership positions is a critical way in which organizations can improve

organizational effectiveness and build sustainable talent pipelines and leadership bench

strength. One form of investment is in the skills level of their mid to senior level professionals

and organizations need to understand existing gaps in skills, as well as look at innovative ways

to build skills that are in demand and contribute to business strategies and goals.

Executive Summary

CritiCal SkillS for Building a SuStainaBle WorkforCe and leaderShip BenCh Strength


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As the Asia Pacic region increasingly transitions to highly industrialized and service-facingeconomies, it creates unprecedented demand for talent and leaders who are highly skilled.

4

Introduction

However, the growing demand for higher skills is not

adequately matched by the supply of human capital, and

it is having an adverse effect on economic and

organizational growth, according to leading global analyst

rm Euromonitor International.

Increased competition for highly skilled workers will

mean that job retention rates drop, reducing businessproductivity.

Euromonitor International

While the skills decit is likely to benet highly skilled

talent in the short term by articially inating their wages,

it will at the same time drive up organizations cost of

doing business and reduce labor productivity.

In the longer term, markets in Asia Pacic might become

unattractive to foreign investors who are not able to

acquire and retain skilled talent. Consequently, a

slowdown in foreign investments will have implications on

economic growth and job creation in the long term.

As the ongoing transition to higher level economies

continues to generate demand for management and

personnel skills, some countries will seek to entice their

citizens working overseas who possess the relevant skills

to return home or attract highly skilled immigrants to ll

the skills gap. However, these approaches face

challenges as many countries globally are alsoexperiencing a similar trend of skills shortages.

The skills shortage in some economies is compounded

by changing demographics and ageing populations. As

Baby Boomers approach retirement, taking critical skills

and knowledge with them, organizations will need to pay

greater attention to these shifts and transform

management and human resources practices to attract,

nurture and retain highly skilled talent of all ages and

backgrounds.

Professional and technical skills, particularly in the middle

to senior levels, are lacking in many parts of the region.

Skills shortages will intensify as organizations and

employers nd the need to hire more knowledge workers

for high-skilled jobs that will help their organizations ride

on the growth of Asia Pacic.

Human resource professionals have indicated that many

workplace skills have become more important for

experienced employees than for new employees (based

on a poll by the Society for Human Resource

Management (SHRM) in conjunction with The Wall Street

Journal Careers). These skills include critical thinking,

problem solving, leadership, teamwork/collaboration, and

adaptability/exibility.

With more than half of the worlds population, Asia Pacic

is now the epicenter of economic growth. As the nature

of doing business changes, skills must evolve to meet the

demands of an increasingly globalized, borderless andtechnology-driven workplace.

A broad understanding of skills needs is critical in

helping organizations ensure they have an adequately

skilled workforce today, as well as to invest in a plan to

address anticipated skills needs and build sustainable

talent pipelines and leadership bench strength.



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5

Prole of Respondents


Over 1340 organizations representing more than 25 industries participated in the Kelly Skills @ WorkStudy 2010, conducted by Kelly Services.

The web-based survey was implemented in early 2010,

following the global nancial crisis, to uncover the

critical skills requirements and skills shortage among mid

to senior level professionals, as well as to explore the

attraction and retention strategies and approaches

employed by organizations to build sustainable talent

pipelines and leadership bench strength.

Respondents are senior decision makers and hiring

managers from a range of national and multi-national

organizations located in countries and territories across

Asia Pacic, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India,

Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and

Thailand.

Almost one-third of the respondents (29%) have regional

Asia Pacic responsibilities, while the scope of

responsibilities for 71% of the respondents is at the local

country level.


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6

Banking & Financial ServicesBusiness ServicesEngineeringInformation Technology & TelecommunicationsManufacturingRetailLife Sciences & PharmaceuticalTravel / LeisureUtilitiesAdvertising & PR

AgricultureAutomotiveCall CenterConstructionGovernmentConsumer GoodsCommunicationEnergyElectronicsLegalMedia

Oil & GasMedicalReal EstateResearchSemiconductor

Industries Covered



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Total Negative Impact Top 2-Box Negative Impact

Retail

Engineering

Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical

IT & Telecommunications

Education

Manufacturing

Banking & Financial Services

Business Services

Utilities

Transport & Distribution

94%

92%

91%

90%

89%

89%

88%

88%

81%

69%

14%

28%

32%

25%

10%

20%

22%

18%

19%

17%

7

Impact of Shortage of Mid to Senior LevelTalent with the Right Skills

The vast majority of organizations (88%) indicated that the lack of mid to senior level professionals

with relevant skills had a negative impact on their ability to service clients.

Across industry sectors, Engineering, Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical and IT & Telecommunications reported the greatest

impact on their ability to service clients. Notably, nearly one-third of the organizations within the Life Sciences &

Pharmaceutical sector described the negative impact on their business to be severe, followed by Engineering (28%) and

IT & Telecommunications (25%).


5% 16% 41% 26% 12%

88% Total Negative Impact

21% Top 2-BoxNegative Impact

Greatest Negative Impact (5) Moderate Impact (3) No Impact At All (1)(2)(4)

To what extent does the shortage of mid to senior level talent impact your organizationsability to serve clients?


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8

There is signicant overlap between the skills cited as most critical within an organization and theskills viewed as the shortest in supply. Four of the Top 5 most important skills are also among thosenoted with the greatest decit among mid to senior level talent: communication, problem solving &decision making, people management and strategic thinking.

People management is a crucial part of mid to senior

executives work and they need to develop long-lasting

relationships with their key employees and stakeholders.

Successful leaders and managers explore and use

different ways of inuencing, motivating and leading

people as well as helping others by extending their skills.

Information exists about how to manage people by

applying active listening, coaching and delegation

techniques, but much of this overlooks the subtleraspects of keeping people engaged and committed to

the organization. Employee loyalty, motivation and trust in

the organization will all suffer if leaders and managers are

careless about the way they treat people.

Further, the ability to think strategically is a skill much

sought-after among mid to senior executives and deemed

as the shortest in supply. Besides bringing the

organizations vision to reality, strategic thinking is a skill

that helps executives confront change, plan for and make

transitions, and envision new possibilities andopportunities.

Of importance, the top skill identied as most

importantcommunication was also cited as one of

the Top 5 skills in short supply. This adds credence to the

growing body of evidence that supports the

importance of effective communication skills for mid to

senior level professionals and its impact on an

organizations brand, employee morale and even share

price. With an increasing number of communication

channels used by businesses, including email, webconferencing and social media, there is also more

pressure on mid to senior level executives to adopt a

concise and meaningful communication approach.

Problem solving and decision making are important as a

foundation stone in every successful mid to senior

executives prole. Problem solving often involves

decision making, and both are especially important for

leadership and management. Good decision-making also

requires a mixture of other skills: creative identication of

alternatives, clarity of judgment, rmness of decision andeffective execution.


Critical Skills for Mid to Senior Level Talent Whats Hot and Whats in Shortage?

Critical Skills - All Industries

What is Most Important and What is in Shortage?

High ShortageLow Shortage

Low

Importan

ce

HighImportance

CommunicationProblem Solving & Decision Making

People ManagementStrategic Thinking

Initiative & EnterpriseLifelong LearningGlobal Mindset

Marketing & SalesProject Management

Self ManagementNegotiation

Health and Workplace Safety

Work-related Technical SkillsTeamwork

Creative Thinking


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9CritiCal SkillS for Building a SuStainaBle WorkforCe and leaderShip BenCh Strength

How Organizations Attract and Retain Mid toSenior Level Talent

How do organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent with the right skills?

Internal promotion

Work life balance initiatives

Hire from other organizations

Attract younger workers

Attract older and experienced workers

Temporary or contract work arrangements

Increased reliance on foreign talent

Delayed retirement

Others

Attractive and competitive pay & benets

Talent and career development training

78%

62%

60%

34%

30%

19%

15%

7%

7%

5%

2%

In order to attract and retain mid to senior level talent, the vast majority of organizations (78%) areoffering attractive and competitive compensation and benets. This solution presents a signicantvulnerability within the marketplace as skills shortages could enable highly skilled talent to demandhigher remuneration, resulting in higher business costs.

Slightly more than three out of ve organizations would

consider training as a means for narrowing the skills gap.

Organizations that promote opportunities to enhance

current skills and develop new skills by providing

training and professional development opportunities

convey a message internally and externally that it values

a highly trained workforce and is committed to investing

in its human capital. Besides building a better prepared

workforce, this benets the organization as it creates aconduit to cultivating leadership from within the

organization. This succession planning approach will

become increasingly critical as competition for talent

intensies globally.

Looking internally is another popular solution for

covering gaps in skills. 60% of the survey respondents

would promote internally while 30% are looking beyond

their organization, citing that the best way to acquire mid

to senior talent with the right skills is to hire from other

organizations. Just 34% of respondents are willing to

implement work life balance initiatives as a means for

attracting and retaining mid to senior level talent.


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10 CritiCal SkillS for Building a SuStainaBle WorkforCe and leaderShip BenCh Strength

How Organizations Attract and Retain Mid toSenior Level Talent by Organization Size

Regardless of company size, creating attractive and competitive compensation and benetspackages is the single most frequently mentioned means to attract, retain and engage mid tosenior level talent within small, medium and large enterprises. Compared with their counterpartsfrom small-staff-sized organizations, respondents from medium and large-staff-sized organizationswere more likely to put forward competitive salaries and benets packages to draw and retain toptalent with the right skills.

However, organizations and employers have to balancetheir need to have the best and brightest talent with the

reality of their nancial situation. Increasing salaries to

attract and retain top talent due to intensifying

competition could impact operating margins and lead

to ination of wages. Instead, organizations should audit

their current talent pool, assess their future workforce

needs, and then determine what they want to change and

how that ts within their budget.

Training takes prominence as a key solution to retain mid

to senior level executives and engage top talent.Respondents from medium and large-staff-sized

organizations were more likely than their counterparts insmall-staff-sized organizations to provide training so that

their talent pool is able to continually learn and update

their skills. On the other hand, small-staff-sized

organizations that operate leaner training budgets can

become creative and select the correct training that helps

to narrow specic skills gaps.

More than half of the respondents at organizations of all

sizes would also consider promoting talent from within

their organization in an effort to engage mid to senior

level talent necessary to continue business at optimumperformance levels.

More than 1000 employees 101 to 500 employees 1 to 100 employees501 to 1000 employees

Attractive and competitive payand benets

Talent and career developmenttraining

Internal promotion


Hire from other organizations


Others

Attract older and experiencedworkers

Temporary or contract workarrangements

Increased reliance on foreigntalent

Delayed retirement for currentemployees

82%

67%

63%

38%

27%

22%

15%

7%

7%

5%

1%

79%

65%

59%

32%

33%

15%

17%

7%

6%

3%

2%

78%

62%

63%

35%

35%

20%

13%

7%

7%

6%

2%

73%

53%

52%

27%

29%

15%

15%

7%

6%

4%

2%

How do organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent?


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Critical Skills in Banking & Financial Services

Signicant overlap exists between the skills considered most important for mid to senior executive

in the Banking & Financial Services sector and the skills reported as the shortest in supply.Notably, all of the Top 5 skills with the greatest shortage of mid to senior level talent are among theTop 5 skills that are considered to be most critical.

The ability to lead, motivate and inspire is another

important requirement for mid to senior level

executives in the Banking & Financial Services sector. This

would include ensuring that staff within their scope of

responsibility possess the right skills to carry out the

business strategy and activities.

Further, Banking & Financial Services organizations look

for professionals who possess relevant and transferable

technical skills. As products and services in this sector

grow and become targeted to individual customer needs,

the technical requirements for most roles are also

becoming more sophisticated. This, in turn, is driving

higher demand for Banking & Finance professionals,

especially those at the mid and senior levels, with the

relevant base of technical skills and knowledge.

The most in-demand skill according to Banking &

Financial Services organizations is communication.

Professionals are often required to communicate fairly

complex nancial issues to a non-nance audience in a

simple and tactful way. They also need a genuine ability

to build long-term, successful, professional relationships

with clients, in addition to selling a product or service.

Problem solving and decision making are cited as key

qualications given the number of regulations with which

companies must comply with as well as the greater

number of environmental uncertainties that need to be

considered when approaching problems or challenges.

An aptitude for strategic thinking is especially important

as is the capability for assessing multiple outside factors,

evaluating options and risks as well as solving complex

nancial challenges to keep the business moving forward.


Low

Importance

HighImportance


Strategic ThinkingPeople Management

Work-related Technical Skills

Creative Thinking

Critical Skills - Banking & Financial Services



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How Banking & Financial ServicesOrganizations Attract and Retain Talent

Overwhelmingly, the vast majority of Banking & Financial Services organizations (83%) in the

region are prepared to pay more to secure highly skilled, qualied and experienced professionals.

Organizations are also committed to providing their top

talent with training opportunities (71%). Ongoing

education and professional training for Banking & Finance

professionals is an important means for covering gaps in

both technical and non-technical or soft skills. During

times of uncertainty, salary and training budgets were

under pressure. However, with improving economic and

business conditions, resources spent developing and

implementing appropriate employee training and

development programs will be an important investment

for an organizations future.

62% of the survey respondents would provide

opportunities for internal advancement to retain their best

and brightest talent.

Respondents also reported that work life balance

initiatives were key to talent attraction and retention.

More than 40% of those surveyed feel that exible

working options that support the lifestyle choices of their

employees have a positive impact in helping them nd

and keep strong performers.

How do Banking & Financial Services organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent

with the right skills?

Internal promotion


Hiring from other organizations




Delayed retirement


Others



83%

71%

62%

42%

25%

17%

17%

9%

8%

7%

1%


14/24


Critical Skills in Engineering

In addition to the need to achieve technical competency in their area of expertise, professionals

in the Engineering industry require an ever-increasing range of soft or people skills to maintainrelevance in the global work environment.

Thinking around problems and being able to identify

solutions is another skill that half of the Engineering

organizations place in high value. Even if the problem

seems minor, mid to senior level executives who are able

to pin point ways forward and weigh the consequences of

each solution are highly valued.

The most in-demand skill for professionals in Engineering

is communication, which is also in short supply. Verbal

and nonverbal communication skills are especially

important as Engineering professionals are often required

to relay fairly complex technical issues to a non-technical

audience.

An increased focus on work-related technical skills (59%)

is also evident among Engineering organizations. While

technical competency in the respective areas of expertise

is an obvious credential, an overall understanding of the

techniques and processes currently deployed to meet

business needs and the linkage to projects and

responsibilities is critical for Engineering professionals to

be successful.


Low

Importance

HighImportance

CommunicationWork-related Technical Skill

Problem Solving & Decision MakingPeople Management

Teamwork

Creative ThinkingInitiative & Enterprise

Critical Skills - Engineering



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How Engineering Organizations Attract andRetain Talent

To attract and retain mid to senior level talent, the vast majority of Engineering organizations (83%)

are looking at offering attractive and competitive compensation and benets. This solutionpresents a signicant vulnerability within the marketplace as skills shortages could mean that highlyskilled talent will be able to demand higher remuneration, driving up business costs.

Training is another popular means to motivate and retain

talent with the right skills within Engineering organizations

(53%). Besides allowing them to cope better with the

sophisticated technical requirements of their job, it

enables mid to senior level talent to take on more

demanding assignments as well as achieve personal goals

of professsional advancement.

Close to half of the respondents in the Engineering sector

would consider promoting talent from within their

organization in an effort to engage mid to senior level

talent.

One out of three survey respondents would hire mid to

senior level talent from other organizations to ensure a

highly skilled workforce and 31% would offer work life

balance initiatives to promote a motivated workforce.

How do Engineering organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent


Internal promotion







Delayed retirement

Others



83%

53%

48%

33%

31%

24%

13%

8%

7%

6%

1%


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Critical Skills in IT & Telecommunications

The most in-demand skills for mid to senior level talent in the IT & Telecommunications industry are

soft or people skills, which include communication, problem solving & decision making, strategicthinking and creative thinking. There is signicant overlap between these skills considered mostimportant and the Top 5 skills cited as the shortest in supply.

Faced with the rapid rate of technological change and a

great number of environmental uncertainties, this is

driving the need for IT professionals with strategic

thinking skills who are capable of looking at all of the

factors, evaluating options and risks as well as addressing

challenges to enact the business strategy.

Creative thinking is also growing in importance. IT

professionals are required to be able to think out of the

box, look at new ways of working, and solve diverse and

complex problems in order to deliver efcient and

innovative products and solutions to clients.

Given that IT projects are now planned and implemented

across country and cultural borders, communication is

the most in-demand skill for ensuring project success and

business growth.

IT & Telecommunications, as with many industries, has a

fast-moving landscape. Professionals in IT &

Telecommunications need to acquire transferable

problem solving and decision-making skills and be

capable of solving complex problems which do not always

have a right answer.


Low

Importance

HighImportance


Strategic ThinkingCreative ThinkingPeople Management

Global Mindset

Critical Skills - IT & Telecommunications



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How IT & Telecommunications OrganizationsAttract and Retain Talent

With the global economic recovery underway and competition for top talent rising again, the vast

majority (79%) of IT & Telecommunications organizations are prepared to pay more to secure highlyskilled, qualied and experienced professionals.

Training, again, features prominently (61%) as a

recruitment and retention strategy employed by the IT &

Telecommunications sector.

While mid to senior level IT professionals are skilled in

their areas of expertise, training can facilitate greater

understanding of how technology contributes to the

organization or business strategy and objectives. Besides

having in-depth knowledge of the technologies available

and emerging in the marketplace, leaders and managers

need to ensure that technology is adopted and

implemented to the organizations greatest advantage.

Some organizations also face challenges when they adopt

new and emerging technologies due to organizational

inertia and the lag that comes from system changes.

Training can help managers understand the potential

impact of the new technology from a business

perspective, which would enable them to convince their

clients and other stakeholders of the value of the technol-

ogy as well as the infrastructure required to be built and

implemented for the technology to work.

Providing opportunities for internal advancement within

an organization (60%) is another popular means for

covering gaps in skills. Mid to senior level talent from

within an organization would be familiar with the

organizational structure, key operating procedures as well

as corporate culture. They would also have had exposure

to important networks, which include clients, vendors and

other afliated organizations.

How do IT & Telecommunications organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent


Internal promotion






Delayed retirement


Others


Career and talent development training

79%

61%

60%

36%

26%

16%

11%

7%

4%

2%

16%


18/24


Critical Skills in Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical

Again, there is a signicant overlay between those skills termed high priority and those deemed to

be in shortest supply in the Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical sector. Four of the Top 5 skills with thegreatest shortfall among mid to senior level talent are also among the Top 5 skills regarded as themost critical for professionals in their organization. These include: people management,strategic thinking, problem solving and decision making, and creative thinking.

Professionals in Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical also need

to acquire transferable problem solving and decision

making skills and be capable of solving complex

problems which do not always have just one solution or a

right answer.

Creative thinking, which involves dening the problem,

generating and experimenting with ideas, and evaluating

options is also another important skill in the Life Sciences

& Pharmaceutical sector that is continuously evolving and

changing.

The ability to lead, motivate and inspire people and

teams is the skill termed highest priority for mid to senior

talent in the Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical sector. This

would include ensuring that the people they manage

have the right skills to move the business forward.

An aptitude for strategic thinking is especially

important as mid to senior professionals in Life Sciences &

Pharmaceutical must be able to look at all of the factors,

evaluate options and risks as well as solve complex issues

and challenges to make the business strategy happen.


Low

Importance

HighImportance

People ManagementStrategic Thinking

Problem Solving & Decision MakingCreative ThinkingCommunication

Initiative & Enterprise

Critical Skills - Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical

Whats Most Important and Whats in Shortage?


19/24


How Life Sciences & PharmaceuticalOrganizations Attract and Retain Talent

Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical organizations remained resilient and continued to operate smoothly

throughout the recent global economic downturn, contributing to the stability of the sector andcontinued demand for talented professionals, especially at the mid to senior levels.

To attract and create a sense of belonging for highly

skilled and experienced professionals, an overwhelming

number of the survey respondents from the Life Sciences

& Pharmaceutical sector (85%) are prepared to pay a

premium for talent. Again, this solution presents a

signicant vulnerability as it could have an impact on

operating margins and lead to wage ination.

Compared with other industries, organizations in Life

Sciences & Pharmacetical are more likely to promote

internally (68%) to retain and keep their top talent

engaged than offer training and development

opportunities (60%).

35% of respondents would look outside their

organization to hire top talent with the appropriate skills

and 34% of those surveyed feel that exible working

options that support the lifestyle choices of their

employees have a positive impact in helping them nd

and keep strong performers.

How do Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent









Delayed retirement

Others

Attractive and competitive pay & benet

Internal promotion

85%

68%

60%

35%

34%

26%

8%

5%

0%

23%

8%


20/24


Critical Skills in Manufacturing

There is signicant overlap between the skills considered most important for mid to senior

executives in the Manufacturing sector and those deemed to be in limited supply. Four of theTop 5 skills with the greatest shortage within mid to senior level talent are among the Top 5 skillsconsidered to be most critical for professionals in the Manufacturing sector. These are:communication, problem solving & decision making, teamwork and creative thinking.

To manage effectively, mid to senior level executives need

to understand and know how to allocate human capital

and other resources as well as work with colleagues and

other stakeholders to schedule reasonable time frames for

project completion.

Further, there is a driving need for creative-thinking skills

in order to solve diverse and complex problems.

Globalization continues to transform the manufacturing

industry and is pushing organizations to become more

creative with their products and services in order to meet

their customers needs and effectively compete in the

global economy.

Communication as well as problem solving and decision

making are the most in-demand skills for professionals

in Manufacturing. Organizations are looking for mid to

senior level talent who can articulate information and

engage stakeholders in both verbal and written form as

well as present themselves in a professional manner.

Thinking around problems, and the ability to evaluate

options and identify solutions, is another skill that

Manufacturing organizations place in high value. Even if

the problem seems small, mid to senior level executives

who can identify ways forward and weigh the

consequences of each solution are in high demand.

In addition, professionals in Manufacturing need to

acquire and develop skills to work in teams and manage

them.


Low

Importance

HighImportance


TeamworkCreative ThinkingWork-related Technical Skills

Strategic Thinking

Critical Skills - Manufacturing



21/24


How Manufacturing Organizations Attractand Retain Talent

With economies showing signs of improvement in the region and the competition for top talent

heating up again, the vast majority of Manufacturing rms (81%) are prepared to pay more tosecure highly skilled, qualied and experienced professionals.

Compared with other industries, organizations in

Manufacturing are more likely to promote internally (63%)

to retain and keep their top talent engaged than provide

training opportunities. Mid to senior level executives

within an organization would be familiar with the

organizational structure, key operating procedures as well

as corporate culture. This eliminates the inhibitions that

normally affect new employees when rst embarking on a

new job. They would also have had exposure to important

networks, which include clients, vendors and other

afliated organizations.

Top mid to senior level executives are also more likely to

remain with an organization if they see opportunities to

gain new skills and improve themselves through training

(61%). An organizations commitment to its leaders and

managers training and professional development will

boost their commitment to the organization.

An equal number of respondents would hire from other

organizations (32%) to ensure a highly skilled workforce as

well as offer work life balance initiatives (32%) to promote

a motivated workforce.

81%

How do Manufacturing organizations attract and retain mid to senior level talent









Delayed retirement

Others


Internal promotion 63%

61%

32%

18%

6%

4%

0%

32%

15%

5%


22/24

22

Building a talent pipeline and succession planning rank

high on every organizations priority list. In order to

develop a sustainable talent pipeline and leadership

bench strength, organizations need to identify their key

people with the ability to assume expanded responsibility

in the future, and adopt strategies associated with skills

gap analysis, risk minimization, talent acquisition,

retention and development.

Asia Pacic is leading the global economic recovery, yet

many organizations still struggle with the extraordinary

gap between the supply of skills available in the

marketplace and the requirements of the workforce in

many industries.

Current skills shortages are expected to intensify as

organizations and employers anticipate the need to

engage more knowledge workers for high-skilled jobs that

will help their businesses grow as the economy rebounds.

The shortfall of mid to senior level talent with relevant

skills is compounded by changing demographics which

include the movement of talent within a country or across

borders and an ageing population in some markets.

However, organizations in Asia Pacic and globally will

always face a skills gap to some extent if they are staying

ahead of evolving market conditions and ever-growing

expectations from their clients and other stakeholders.

Instead of reacting to the skills gap with short-term

actions, organizations and other stakeholders should

continue to collaborate and take a more proactive

approach to identifying needs and forging long term

solutions.

Besides identifying specic skills that are in

decit, it is vital for businesses to match the skills of their

current workforce to changes in their strategy and goals.

Our research has established that skills shortages across

industries are now at critical levels and organizations

across different industries are threatened by many of the

same gaps in skills.

Developing highly skilled talent to be leaders of tomorrow

and allowing them to visualize what is possible today will

not only make a difference in their lives but will enrich our

communities now and for the future.


Conclusion


23/24

Critical Skills Needs and Resources for the Changing Workforce: A study by the Society for Human Resource Management and WSJ.

com/Careers, www.shrm.org/Research/SurveyFindings/Articles/Pages/CriticalSkillsNeeds.aspx, June 2008

Doody, Michael F., Broader Range of Skills Distinguishes Successful CFOs, Healhcare Financial Management, September 2000

Eghbal, Media, Special Report: Skills shortage hinders Asia Pacic growth, www.euromonitor.com/Special_Report_Skills_shortage_

hinders_Asia_Pacic_growth, 6 May 2008

Galagan, Pat, Bridging the Skills Gap: New Factors Compound the Growing Skills Shortage,

www.astd.org/TD/Archives/2010/Feb/Free/1002_BridgingSkillsGap.htm, February 2010

Huff, Duane, How to Attract, Retain, and Motivate Top Notch People For Your Organization;

ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Attract,-Retain,-and-Motivate-Top-Notch-People-For-Your-Organization&id=1798757

Jacobs, Dianne, In search of future leaders: Managing the global talent pipeline, Ivey Business Journal, March/April 2005

Klaus, Peggy, The Hard Facts about Soft Skills, www.bettersoftskills.com/research.htm, 2008

Kumar, Avanti, Government and industry address ICT skills shortage in Malaysia, MIS Asia, 18 March 2010

Roger, Mark, The Importance of Information Technology Training from a Management Perspective, www.buzzle.com/articles/

the-importance-of-information-technology-training-from-a-management-perspective.html

Understanding skills shortages, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), Australia, www.skillsinfo.

gov.au/skills/SkillsIssues/UnderstandingSkillShortages/


References


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