Dive Brief:

• The U.S. talent shortage has tripled in 10 years, according to a Feb. 7 ManpowerGroup survey. If employers can't find the talent they need, the report concluded, they need to find out what workers want.
• More than two-thirds of organizations struggle to find skilled workers — a figure up from 14% in 2010, the poll of 2,000 U.S. employers and 1,5000 workers said. The three hardest positions to fill are the in skilled trades, IT and Sales & Marketing.
• "As U.S. employers face the highest skills shortages in over a decade, the relationship between employer and employee is shifting," ManpowerGroup North America President Becky Frankiewicz said in a media release. "Now is the time for employers to differentiate themselves and think differently about what they offer, starting with the opportunity to blend work and home and creating clear career pathways to in-demand jobs."

Dive Insight:

ManpowerGroup released a report in January showing that the global talent shortage had doubled in the last 10 years. In that survey, more than half of employers on a global scale acknowledged the severity of the talent shortage, and out of 44 countries, 36 reported having difficulty filling positions in 2018. 

With the talent shortage tripling in the U.S., employers have an even greater recruiting challenge ahead. In fact, a January report from The Conference Board reported similar results, concluding that the talent shortage, along with a possible recession, is a top worry among CEOs. But despite their concerns, the company heads said they planned to provide a solution by "developing more innovative cultures and new business models."

Given the current state of hiring, it's no surprise that proactive talent management emerged as one of five top talent trends for 2020; talent management will have to shift from being a reactive business function, experts told HR Dive in a recent interview. Michael Stephan, Deloitte's U.S. human capital leader, ​cited the complex make up of the workforce — including the combination of employees, independent workers and robots — as the reason talent managers may need to make the shift.