Potential Hires Lacking Basic Skills

The Herman Trend Alert reports that, despite weaker than expected job numbers for November, employers are hiring, and unemployed people are returning to to work. The report says that this is part of a "silent strategy" on the part of businesses that has not yet shown up on the employment statistics.

In light of this growth, the Herman Group predicts that employers will have an increasingly difficult time hiring qualified workers. They note a survey of job-seekers who rate their problem-solving, stress management and even their computer skills to be inadequate. Whether this is a result of a lack of training and mentoring, or simply a poor self image, is not clear.

If both accellerated hiring and a shortage of skilled workers continue to be trends, employers will need to invest more in employee education and retention if they plan to remain competitive. Job seekers, for their part, will need to be more assertive in learning new skills and discovering their professional strengths and weaknesses.