Employers in Hong Kong have to build a strong brand in order to solve talent shortage problems.
According to the fourth annual talent shortage survey conducted by recruitment consultant Manpower, 37% of the surveyed 420 employers in Hong Kong are struggling to hire talents during economic crisis.
Lancy Chui, General Manager of Manpower Hong Kong and Macau Operations, comments that job seekers look for jobs don't generally have the specific skills that employers are expecting. "The key is that there are jobs requiring more refined skills. It is hard to find the right talent who are well versed in those skill sets."
She advises employers to shift their mindset to focus on training up staff with the required qualities to take up roles which are difficult to fill.
The top 3 jobs that employers are having difficulty filling in Hong Kong in 2009 are sales representatives, technicians, and engineers. The report shows that employers in Hong Kong identified vacancies for sales representatives as the most difficult to fill for the third year in succession. "It is obvious in some independent financial institutes that requires individuals with persistent record and strong entrepreneurial spirit and also who are adept at handling frustrations, knowledgeable about the macro and micro economy and passion in achieving goals," Chui says.
According to Global Talent Crunch – Why Employer Branding Matters Now White Paper released by Manpower, a strong brand as an employer will help employers attract and retain the best talent, and therefore enable them to win during economic downturn and achieve their growth plans.
Chui comments, "An employer brand is an organization's identity to its employees. An employer brand identifies and amplifies the distinctive values, character and style that set organizations apart from others. We believe that employer brands live across the business, from CEO to frontline employees, and are a vital tool in retaining and attracting talent to core business areas." She adds that the key to building the right employer brand begins with identifying the distinctive qualities of the organization that create an emotional connection between employer and employee – the qualities motivate the workforce to help advance the company's mission.