If the 2018 Talent Shortage Survey by ManpowerGroup is accurate, the automotive aftermarket is getting hit from three directions in a wider battle to fill positions.

According to Canadian data in the survey, the three most difficult positions employers are having hard times filling are in the skilled trades (electricians, welders, mechanics), sales representatives (B2B, B2C, call centre), and drivers (truck, delivery, construction, mass transit). Together, these roles comprise among the most critical to the success of many aftermarket organizations.

Filling out the remainder of the ten most difficult jobs to fill for employers are: Technicians (quality controllers, technical staff), IT (cybersecurity experts, network administrators, technical support), Office support (administrative assistants, PAs, receptionists), Healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, other non-nursing health professionals), Professionals (project managers, lawyers, researchers), and Teachers.

Overall, employers have seen a significant uptick in difficulty finding candidates to fill roles; with 41% of employers are having difficulty filling jobs in Canada, this challenge is the highest in more than a decade.

The reasons for difficulty as offered by the survey are:

• Lack of applicants 26%
• Lack of experience 19%
• Applicants lack required hard skills 17%
• Applicants lack required soft skills 7%
• Applicants expect higher pay than offered 12%
• Applicants expending better benefits than offered 2%
• An issue speci­fic to my organization 7%
• Other/don’t know 10%

The solutions? ManpowerGroup offers a strategy that can fill the gaps:

• Build: Develop talent within your organization
• Buy: Find the talent you need on the outside market and go get it.
• Borrow: Cultivate communities of talent outside the organization, including part-time, freelance, contract and temporary workers to complement existing skills.
• Bridge: Help people move on and move up to new roles inside or outside the organization.