Report: Skills Shortages Threaten U.S., European Services Sector
Demand for skilled, knowledgeable services workers outstrips supply.
By Garry Kranz Comments 0 | Recommend 0
Training to Serve: As economies in the U.S. and Europe diversify more heavily
into services, companies are running into a hard reality: Executives worry their
employees lack the basic skills necessary to sustain prolonged economic growth.
That’s according to a report released by Service Strategies Corp., an advisory
and career development consulting firm in San Diego, and Noventum Service
Management Consultants of the Netherlands. Among the findings: 75 percent of
executives cite improving customer service, employee loyalty and retention of
top performers as top priorities. Nearly half the executives cite technical
skills shortages as a major obstacle. “Both the technical and soft skills of
service employees are instrumental” as companies attempt to deliver customized
products and more complex services, the report says. It concludes that demand
for trained people is outstripping available supplies in both Western Europe and
the U.S.
Workforce Management contributing editor Garry Kranz is based in Richmond, Virginia. E-mail editors@workforce.com to comment.
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