ManpowerGroup and Competitive Wisconsin Inc. (CWI) are partnering to help Wisconsin’s business, government and academic leaders address the state’s short-term skills gap and its longer-term need to build a sustainable and globally competitive talent pool that empowers workers and meets employers’ needs.
The initiative – part of CWI’s ongoing “Be Bold” efforts to develop and advocate for strategic policies to enhance how Wisconsin competes, grows jobs and strengthens its economy – clarifies how producing clusters of in-demand skilled workers could help the current workforce, support employers and position Wisconsin as a top destination state for both talent and businesses.
“For Wisconsin’s growing economy to thrive in the Human Age – an era in which skilled talent is increasingly scarce – the state’s employers will require a skilled workforce here in Wisconsin and improved national, regional and global access to talent through contemporary work models,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup president of the Americas and chairman of Junior Achievement USA.
ManpowerGroup Solutions, the Milwaukee company’s outcome-based and talent-driven solutions business, is conducting a complex analysis of the state’s workforce, focused on short- and long-term supply and demand projections in critical industries and select skill clusters. Researchers are also talking with representatives from Wisconsin’s education and training workforce ecosystem in an effort to profile best practices.
“Domestically, states short on in-demand talent face high recruitment costs,” said Scott VanderSanden, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Wisconsin and CWI President. “In turn, states with an over-supply of talent with outdated skills are burdened with rising unemployment which reduces public sector income and increases the need for financial assistance. Examining talent development opportunities across the state’s industry sectors and education systems is key to driving the best customized workforce strategy for Wisconsin.”
The ManpowerGroup Be Bold 2 study will be completed in September and will serve as a cornerstone of CWI’s 2012 Wisconsin Economic Summit Series this fall.
“ManpowerGroup is inspired by the State of Wisconsin’s progress toward becoming a world-class model for employment and has contributed toward this goal for 60 years as one of the state’s landmark corporations,” Prising said. “As a global company headquartered in Wisconsin, ManpowerGroup also has a vested interest in enhancing the competitiveness of the state’s workforce.”
ManpowerGroup works on a range of public-private initiatives worldwide to drive employment. ManpowerGroup endorses include the HR Policy Association’s U.S. Blueprint for Jobs in the 21st Century and the Business 20 (B20) Task Force on Employment master plan for boosting global employment. The plans identify public-private sector initiatives for upskilling and placing talent into growing industry sectors. A co-chair on the new B20 task force, Jeff Joerres, ManpowerGroup chairman and CEO, delivered its priority actions to the G20 last month.
Competitive Wisconsin Inc. is a nonpolitical consortium of agriculture, business, education and labor leaders in Wisconsin who work together to focus attention on the state’s competitiveness. CWI’s mission is to improve the economic climate of Wisconsin in order to encourage the expansion of existing businesses and enhance the possibility of developing and attracting new businesses.
