Monday, June 20, 2011

"Siemens chief warns on US skills shortage" (SI)

When the chief executive of the U.S. division of one of the premier manufacturing companies in the world says something like this, it might be time to throttle back on the sociology/psychology/anthropology majors.
From the Financial Times:
A mismatch in the US labour market between the skills of unemployed people and the jobs available is making it hard for some companies to find the right staff despite an unemployment rate of more than 9 per cent, one of the country’s largest manufacturing employers has warned.

Eric Spiegel, chief executive in the US for Siemens, the German engineering group, said the problem exposed weaknesses in education and training in the US. Siemens had been forced to use more than 30 recruiters and hire staff from other companies to find the workers it needed for its expansion plans, even amid an unemployment rate of 9.1 per cent.

“There’s a mismatch between the jobs that are available, at least in our portfolio, and the people that we see out there,” Mr Spiegel told the Financial Times. “There is a shortage [of workers with the right skills.]”...MORE, including video.