Overcoming the Shortage of Qualified Employees

There are plenty of applicants for the posts, but there are few who are really qualified to meet the demands of each job.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A study entitled 'Lack of Talent 2011' by the firm Manpower Group shows that 30% of companies in Costa Rica say they have trouble finding certain types of staff such as technicians, salesmen and secretaries with the required skills.

As a conclusion of the 2011 survey, Manpower found that the hardest positions to fill with candidates with the qualities needed in order to be competent are technicians, sales, skilled trades, engineering, secretarial and administrative staff.

On being consulted on how to overcome this problem, executives from the companies surveyed indicated the following strategies:

32% provide additional training and development plans for current workers.

16% extend the search beyond the local market.

15% appoint people who lack the necessary skills for the job, but who have the potential to develop.

10% focus efforts on retaining current workers with jobs that are hard to replace.

10% change patterns of employment or how to advertise tenders.

8% increase salaries.

7% -make agreements with training centers to create curricula aligned to the needs of talent.

7% increase efforts to improve sources of talent.

6% redefine the training criteria to include candidates with no formal training required.

5% - improving compensation packages, including bonuses for signing the contract.

5% explain clearly the possibilities of professional development to candidates during the selection process.

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