Addressing Labor Shortages

Most companies don’t have a hiring problem. They have a leaving problem. And leadership avoids the mirror. The fastest way to lose top talent? Treat retention like HR’s job. And leadership like business as usual. Because replacing good people doesn’t just cost money. It costs momentum. Trust. Institutional memory. Belief. And here's the real irony: The leaders who complain most about “talent shortages” are often the ones quietly pushing talent out. Not through bad intentions. But through everyday leadership design. If you want people to stay,  start here 👇 1. Make it safe to tell the truth early Not in exit interviews. In week one - before silence feels safer than honesty. 2. Say what won’t change - especially when everything else is Name the constants. Repeat them. Stability is what people hold onto in uncertainty. 3. Fix systems before judging people Look at workload. Priorities. Handoffs. Broken systems exhaust good people. 4. Treat emotional load as real work Change fatigue. Tension. Customer pressure. Invisible labor is still labor - and it’s why people leave. 5. Invite people into decisions that shape their work Not everything is democratic. But nothing important happens without context. 6. Create visible growth paths, not vague promises Talk about skills. Next moves. What “better” actually looks like here. 7. Design fairness instead of relying on goodwill Clear standards. Consistent reactions. No mood-based leadership. People stay where dignity isn’t negotiable. Here’s the part worth remembering: You can always hire new people. But you can’t rehire trust, pride,  or belief once they’re gone. Great leaders don’t try to “retain talent.” They build places worth staying. ♻ 🥇 Repost to remind leaders what actually makes people stay. ➕ Follow Mike Leber for leadership people actually stay for. Image credit: Eric Partaker — 📌 I’m creating a free Leadership Readiness Assessment  to help leaders spot what’s pushing people out - and fix it early. Join the waitlist to get it first  👉 https://lnkd.in/dM8Ks7Ns

I still remember the face of the senior developer who walked into my Lahore office last year, résumé in hand, asking if his 10 years of experience still mattered. "Mr. Usman," he said, "I built systems that run dozens of Technology and retail organizations, but today a 22 year old with three months of AI training just got promoted over me." That moment haunts me, because it represents the greatest challenge facing every technology leader today. The World Economic Forum estimates that nearly six in ten workers will require training before 2030, with 22% of jobs globally changing due to technological advancements. Yet 80% of organizations say upskilling is the most effective way to reduce employee skills gaps, but only 28% are planning to invest in upskilling programs over the next two to three years. This disconnect isn't just a statistic; it's a crisis of vision. Gartner projects that generative AI will require 80% of the engineering workforce to upskill through 2027, while 60% of employees report insufficient training for core job skills. We're essentially asking people to swim while refusing to teach them. But here's what I've learned building Devsinc across three continents: the solution isn't more training programs. It's about creating what Deloitte calls a "whole work approach to development" that integrates skill building with practical, contextual experience. When you redesign roles and workflows to reduce reliance on missing skills while providing intensive, hands-on management support, you don't just close gaps; you create cultures of continuous learning. That senior developer? He's now leading an AI integration team. Not because we gave him a course, but because we paired him with younger engineers in a true knowledge exchange. His decades of system thinking combined with their AI fluency created something neither could achieve alone. 46% of leaders identify skill gaps as the most significant barrier to AI adoption. But the real barrier is our failure to see that experience and innovation aren't competitors. They're collaborators waiting to be unleashed. The question isn't whether your people can adapt. It's whether you're brave enough to invest in their transformation before your competition does.

The recent World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 highlights the trends reshaping the global labor market. WEF estimates a net increase of 78 million jobs with employers expecting 40% of the skills required to shift over the next 5 years. The report notes “helping workers achieve the right mix of technical and human skills will be vital as the future of work continues to evolve.” These trends and forecasts align with a recent podcast conversation I had with John Nixon. It doesn’t get more energetic than a workforce development convo with John who leads Siemens Digital Industries Software's Energy & Chemicals Industry. John: “What excites me is workforce development is so incredibly important to us in Energy & Chemicals.” He emphasized the industry’s skill challenges along with labor shortages - noting 10% of engineer demand will be from data centers by 2035. We doubled down on intersections. We discussed the industry skills intersection as digital twins go into the field. We looked at the timely intersection of supply and demand changes in engineering education. John emphasized the “tremendous skills gap” that requires a new level of skills development due to digital transformation, as well as talent turnover in academia and industry. The challenges are global. That’s why you see whole regions like the European Union recommending microcredentials to promote a culture of lifelong learning. The United Arab Emirates adopted a policy to leverage microcredentials to strengthen opportunities for learning and employability. It’s clear a new level of digital fluency is required to meet the transformation in the energy industry. Credentials play a key role in providing recognition for knowledge and skills and connecting talent with employers. They address the need for more flexible and accessible learning pathways. Now more than ever, academia and industry must collaborate on creative, cost-effective digital solutions. sie.ag/76vR91 #workforcedevelopment

The skills gap we’re seeing in manufacturing isn’t just a challenge, it’s an opportunity to redefine how we prepare our workforce for the future. As the manufacturing industry undergoes rapid transformation, a critical gap remains between the current skillsets of the workforce and the demands of emerging technologies. At Siemens, we’re committed to closing this gap through initiatives like immersive training programs utilizing AR and VR, partnerships with educational institutions and robust apprenticeship opportunities. People are the driving force behind innovation and providing them with the right tools and knowledge will determine any organization’s ability to thrive. The future of manufacturing depends on addressing these challenges, so what is your organization doing to help close the skills gap? Discover more about the need to reskill, upskill and educate our workforce here: https://lnkd.in/gwupqX6n

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦. While demand for talent remains high, the hiring rate has fallen sharply, and a shocking number of job openings remain unfilled even as the number of unemployed people is steadily rising. One major reason for these developments is a growing disconnect between the skills employers need and those job seekers have. To meet this challenge, we need to rethink how we approach talent development. Reskilling and upskilling are a necessity. Businesses can’t wait for the perfect candidate with the perfect skill set to show up—they need to invest in developing the skills of the workers they already have. How? There’s mentorship, training programs, and leveraging technology like AI. All these can ensure workers are equipped with the skills we need today and in the future. But it’s not just about developing one’s in-house talent. Employers must also be open to diversifying their approach to attracting external talent, including identifying and engaging with untapped talent pools—people who might not have followed traditional career paths but have the skills to thrive in the right environment. In an era characterized by rapid technological change, employers must take a proactive, forward-looking approach to investing in talent, offering the right opportunities for growth, and developing skills that align with tomorrow’s needs. Only through these efforts can we close the skills gap and build a future-ready workforce.

How is there a talent shortage when so many are out there looking for a job?! The short answer? Misalignment in supply and demand. On one side, the evolving requirements of businesses do not align with the competencies of the available talent. Conversely, the types of companies or roles that job seekers are looking for may be scarce, leading to a surplus of candidates in certain areas. This misalignment was also evident in articles released by The Straits Times and LinkedIn (see links below), which discussed the changing workforce landscape and the global skills gap. Addressing this misalignment requires concerted efforts from both job seekers and employers: For Job Seekers: 🌻 Stay updated with industry trends and understand the in demand skills in the job market. 🌻 Make an active effort to upskill and reskill. 🌻 Embrace change and cultivate adaptability. Accept that your ideal role may evolve overtime. 🌻 Apply for roles with intentionality, network thoughtfully and hone your personal brand consistently. For Employers: 🌻 Reassess job requirements and stop searching for unicorns—focus on realistic expectations and prioritize potential and attitude over perfection. 🌻 Invest in learning and development programs to train talent internally and address skill gaps. 🌻 Focus on creating an inclusive culture that attracts and retains diverse talent. Addressing the Global Talent Shortage and bridging the gap takes effort from both sides, but with intention and action, we can shape a workforce that meets today’s demands. Watch the video below as Nicolas Bivero and I talk about the Global Talent Shortage. You may also read this article by Penbrothers on #leadership, #DEI and the #FutureOfWork: https://lnkd.in/g9Rrk5rP  — #BetterEverydayInEveryWay

Canada’s talent problem is becoming harder to ignore. The question is no longer only whether Canada can attract talent. It is whether people can see a future here. This spring, Statistics Canada released data showing that Canadian emigrants are disproportionately young and educated: 67% are between the ages of 20 and 44, and close to 70% hold a university degree. Statistics Canada’s April labour market data also showed youth unemployment at 14.3%, well above the pre-pandemic average. Brain drain should concern us. But the harder issue is what Canada is doing with the talent that stays and the talent that arrives. Many skilled immigrants are already here, yet too many are still underemployed, underpaid, or blocked from using the education, credentials and experience they bring. Recent research from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Conference Board of Canada shows that high-skilled immigrants are among those most likely to leave. That is the contradiction. Young talent is struggling to see opportunity. Newcomer talent is still too often underused. And Canada is trying to solve a productivity problem while leaking human capital on both ends. For the GTHA, this is not a narrow labour-market issue. It is housing affordability, wages, career mobility, credential recognition, employer practices, civic belonging, and the basic question of whether people can build a future here. We cannot talk seriously about productivity, competitiveness or growth while treating talent, housing, immigration and economic mobility as separate conversations. That is the conversation we need to have. #CdnImm #Talent #NewcomerTalent #Productivity #RegionalProsperity

Unemployment continues to climb, but so do our skill shortages. There are few credible arguments to be made that current immigration policies are addressing our skills gaps, but maybe we’re overlooking one of the most underutilized talent pools: moms. The data is clear. Women spend nearly twice as much time on childcare and housework compared to men, and that imbalance has real consequences in the workplace. Forty-four percent of working mothers say they’ll likely need to change jobs to balance childcare demands, compared to just 37% of fathers. After childbirth, 24% of women exit the labor market in the first year, and 15% remain out even a decade later. During the pandemic, the lost economic value of working mothers in the US and Canada was estimated at $420 billion. So here’s the question: could solving the skills shortage be as simple as changing workplace policies so more moms can stay in, and thrive in, the workforce? If we know moms are doing more at home, then employers need to do more for moms at work. That means flexible work arrangements that reflect caregiving realities, childcare support like subsidies or emergency care days, career progression models that account for nonlinear paths, leadership development that doesn’t penalize motherhood, and inclusive cultures that value care as a leadership trait. To all the moms who are doing double duty, we see you. To all the employers who are listening, keep going. To all of us dads, be better

Companies struggle to get employees to return to the office (#RTO). Many leaders have not considered how COVID and other viral infections make this more difficult. First, a significant percentage of people remain concerned about #COVID19 infections. The Annenberg Public Policy Center conducted a study two months ago that found 33% are worried about getting or having a family member get Covid in the next three months, 37% are worried about the flu, and 26% are worried about RSV. (https://lnkd.in/gC8CUsSN) Some claim this fear is inflated, but there is growing knowledge that each COVID reinfection increases the risks of Long COVID (https://lnkd.in/gyAQC4Hb), and that COVID can cause a host of chronic cardiovascular, neurological and other issues (https://lnkd.in/g7vTCmeR.) But it is not just concern about infections that might cause employees to resist returning full-time. COVID and Long COVID also cause people to struggle with work. As of September, one of every 23 American adults reported having some activity limitations due to Long COVID (https://lnkd.in/gPhUH8jM). The number of people in the US civilian workforce with a disability has skyrocketed since the pandemic began (https://lnkd.in/gbnfCHXH). And a series of studies have found people with COVID are often left with cognitive issues. For example, new research found that people with post-COVID fatigue are less sensitive to rewards (https://lnkd.in/gzAarjfr). COVID is not over. We will see another significant surge of infections this holiday season that will probably be among the largest six waves of infections since the pandemic began (https://lnkd.in/guQ2vSj5). As more get reinfected and are left with Long COVID, the challenges faced by employers will only increase. Forcing people back into the office who have concerns or are struggling with health issues is not the way to increase employee engagement and strengthen corporate culture. Leaders who want people to return to the office must consider: — Implementing and promoting safer air standards that increase ventilation and filtration and reduce CO2 — Being flexible with RTO policies, allowing more WFH during surges (as we will experience in the next two months) — Offering accommodations for those with Long COVID and other disabilities under the ADA It isn't enough to demand people work in places where they feel unsafe. You must make changes to improve safety for employees and customers.

💡 Is it really a war for talent—or are we just looking in the wrong places? We keep hearing about Fachkräftemangel—the shortage of skilled professionals. Companies struggle to fill key roles, yet at the same time, there’s a pool of highly experienced talent that often gets overlooked: candidates over 50. Here’s the thing: It’s not that the talent isn’t there—it’s that we’re not hiring based on the right criteria. Too often, hiring processes are still built around outdated filters: ❌ Gaps in CVs? 🚫 ❌ “Overqualified”? 🚫 ❌ Too many years of experience? 🚫 None of these factors tell us whether someone can do the job. And yet, they often become disqualifiers before a conversation even happens. 🔄 That is why at MCH Group we flipped the script... ✅ Skill-based hiring – Instead of filtering candidates based on age or past job titles, focus on what they can do today and how they can contribute. ✅ Rewriting job descriptions – Are they unintentionally biased? Many listings are written in a way that discourages experienced professionals from applying. Let’s make sure they are inclusive. ✅ Reframing “cultural fit” – Often a hidden bias. It’s not about hiring people who ‘fit in’ but those who bring new perspectives and add value. When we hire for skills over stereotypes, we’re not just filling roles—we’re strengthening teams, driving innovation, and actually solving the talent shortage instead of just talking about it. The question isn’t whether the right talent exists—it’s whether we’re creating the right conditions to attract and recognize it.