Global Compact International Yearbook Ausgabe 2011

Best Practice
Labour Standards
ManpowerGroup
The Human Age
Recent events in many countries across the world are a stark reminder that the power of the
human spirit should not be underestimated. As we put the “Great Recession” behind us and
look toward a more positive – and yet vastly different – new era, we are reminded that
it was the innovation, creativity, and passion of people who got the world through those
challenging times. During the downturn, companies had to cope with “doing more with
less” – raising productivity yet with fewer people to get the work done. This required new
approaches, new perspectives, and above all, new ingenuity. The recession is in our rearview
mirror but that pressure to do more with less has endured – we have entered the Human
Age.
By Jeffrey A. Joerres
Sustainable work, being able to provide
for one’s family, and contributing to one’s
community allows self-confidence to be
restored. It is only human to want to feel
needed, and too many people feel as if
they are surplus to requirements. The
most frustrating thing for all concerned,
though, is that they are needed. With
unemployment remaining high in many
countries, it could appear that employers
are spoilt for choice when it comes to
selecting the best of the best employees.
Unfortunately, the companies we talk to
tell a different story. They are constantly
frustrated in their attempts to attract
the talent they need, and individuals
are similarly struggling to match their
career ambitions with the companies
who need their skills.
A major contributing factor to this apparent
paradox is that those who are available
do not possess the right specificity
of skills that businesses require. In the
past, all that was considered important
was that a candidate possessed the right
technical skills to get the job done. In
the Human Age, however, they need all
that and more. The velocity of change in
the world of work means employers need
their people to be agile and adaptable
in order to evolve in tandem with the
growing complexities of this new era.
Attributes such as flexibility, intellectual
curiosity, and a learning mindset become
priceless. The notion of doing more with
less has continued into the recovery, so
every person within an organization has
to be very talented. In order to address
the challenges posed by the Human
Age, we need to unlock the potential
of people everywhere. Demographic
shifts mean the working population
in most countries is aging, yet there
is the serious threat that a whole new
generation could be left on the sidelines.
Youth unemployment is a chronic and
growing problem and has been a factor
in much of the civil unrest in the Middle
East, North Africa, and other parts of the
world. In addition to the social ills associated
with having a disengaged youth,
it also poses an economic threat. If we
cannot get the new generation – both
men and women – to take the place
of the Baby Boomers who are retiring,
talent shortages will become even more
acute and global economic growth will
suffer. The power of humans and their
potential can drive economies forward.
Therefore, young women and men must
be given the tools to make themselves
marketable to employers.
In January, I took part in a CNBC debate
at the World Economic Forum Annual
Meeting, which focused on the importance
of overhauling education to make
young people more job-ready. The fact is
that educational institutions are simply
not equipping workforce entrants with
the skills that businesses need. And in
many regions, half the population –
women – have a limited opportunity
for any education. The responsibility lies
with all of us – governments, educators,
and, yes, businesses – to see to it that
education changes. To do so will require
a radical overhaul, as entrepreneurship
must be incentivized and students need
to be taught differently. Without dramatic
changes, whole societies will simply
not have enough people with the right
skills, thus robbing them of the opportunity
to gain self-sufficiency and leaving
their countries unable to compete in a
global economy. Additionally, we must
confront the fact that millions of people
have been out of work for long periods of
time and have seen their skills become
antiquated as the pace of change in the
world of work quickens.
The global economy needs talented people
as much as people need the dignity
of work. The companies that succeed
in this new age will be those whose
leaders understand how to channel and
unleash human passion and potential.
The single-minded focus on reducing
costs is forcing organizations to look at
their workforce in new ways – inspiring
creativity and innovation like never before
– awakening employers to the very
real power of humans. Companies that
successfully navigate this new “normal”
will be those best prepared to leverage
the potential of their people.
At ManpowerGroup, our clients depend
on us to provide them with the people
they need, and our candidates look to
us to connect them with the companies
that can unleash their potential. In other
words, their success leads to our success,
so it makes sense for us to cast our net
to all sections of society to source the
best possible talent for our clients. We
recently teamed up with Microsoft to
help stimulate youth employment and
early entrepreneurship in the Middle
East and North Africa – a region in
which the issue of youth joblessness
runs deep. Together, we are working to
develop a training curriculum for young
entrepreneurs that includes leading-edge
technical-, organizational-, and business
development skills. In addition, we are
joining with governments and NGOs
for training, mentoring, career guidance,
work-preparation, job-linkage, and
entrepreneurship projects for youth in
other regions, including Serbia (pictured).
These and numerous similar programs
are targeted specifically at men and women
who experience barriers to employment.
Another notable example is Project
Ability in the United States – a national
program aimed at transitioning people
with disabilities into sustainable employment
with leading employers nationwide.
Make no mistake, this is no act of charity;
it is all about finding a solution to the
worsening talent mismatch by looking
at talent pools that have traditionally
gone untapped. People with disabilities
represent the largest minority group in
the United States. A key component of
Project Ability is the partnership with
local community-based organizations
that have the access to candidates with
the appropriate skill sets. Through local
recruitment strategies, ManpowerGroup
works with local employers to identify
and place candidates with disabilities.
In all of this, we remain committed to
the UN Global Compact Principles, which
become even more relevant at the dawn
of the Human Age. In the Human Age,
men and women will take their rightful
place at center stage as the world’s
only source of inspiration, passion, and
innovation and the driving force behind
all endeavors and enterprise. Unleashing
that human potential provides people
with the dignity of work while building
strong economies and sustainable
communities.
Jeff Joerres is Chairman and CEO of
ManpowerGroup.
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