MILWAUKEE, Jan. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions and World Economic Forum (WEF) strategic partner, will address key challenges hampering economic growth at the WEF 2013 Annual Meeting in Davos next week.

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Regional leaders from ManpowerGroup will join together in Switzerland to leverage their global insight and local expertise to identify solutions to address the challenges and transformational opportunities companies face in an increasingly complex and interconnected environment:

• Europe: On-going geo-political and fiscal uncertainties, dampened demand and unprecedented unemployment levels mean Europe's industries will increasingly rely on talent to help them navigate through a time of flux. Employers in Europe are still reporting talent shortages. Talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator and businesses need to be able to look beyond country borders to unleash human potential and find employees that will accelerate business success.
• Asia: Demographic decay, unprecedented skills gaps and weaker consumer demand from Europe and North America will continue to hamper Asia's growth rate.  While the rise of Asia's new middle class will drive internal demand, this may encourage structural inflation and higher salary expectations. As a result, access to scalable talent in the right locations will be important to sustain economic growth.
• Americas: A continued focus on job creation is needed to stimulate lackluster consumer demand. Investment in talent will nurture innovation, drive employee engagement and improve business performance. Businesses need to be flexible in their resourcing strategy to respond swiftly to changing opportunities. A focus on developing leadership and management skills will build the flexible workforce needed and allow organizations to succeed.

"Despite persistent levels of high unemployment globally, ManpowerGroup's 2012 Talent Shortage Survey reveals that one in three businesses (34 percent) continue to struggle to find the right staff.  As the world's skills mismatch causes major pressures for businesses, it will continue to be a significant pressure point in the year ahead," said Jonas Prising, President, ManpowerGroup. "Agility and the ability to tap the right talent, which can navigate unpredictable challenges, will increasingly define business success and enable economic growth in the Human Age."

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of 3,600 offices in 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined – because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, and was once again the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. This concept of talentism as the new capitalism continues to resonate and was echoed as a core theme of the 2012 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Learn more at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the ManpowerGroup World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success. 

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj. Joerres is one of only 20 Fortune 500 CEOs who leverages a Twitter account to get his message out.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup