Think you have problems hiring talented workers? In Texas, they’d be happy to just find people who can read and do simple math.
Besides the generally good news this week about manufacturing conditions in the Lone Star state, the Dallas Federal Reserve included some comments from the business executives who complete the Fed’s monthly survey. Mixed in with the concerns about a strong U.S. dollar and the woes of the petroleum industry were a few about hiring problems.
One exec in chemical manufacturing bemoaned the quality of the company’s young workers: “Entry-level candidates cannot read or follow instructions. Most cannot do simple math problems. What is wrong with the educational system?” Someone in textile products said, “It is very difficult to get qualified employees.”
Agreed another executive from a fabricated metal products manufacturer, “There is a shortage of both skilled and unskilled labor.” So what’s the solution for that employer, “With labor costs increasing, we may be forced to drop health care, which is increasing in cost also.”
That should help attract better workers.
Here’s an interesting statistic from the 2016 ICF Global Coaching Study: Except in Asia, women make up the majority of the clients of coaching professionals. In North America, 58% of coaching clients are women. Coaches in Eastern Europe have the next highest share at 57%. In Asia, coaches report that 46% of their clients are women.
There’s also a sizable gender difference when it comes to the type of coaching. Executive coaches say 55% of their clients are men. Business/organization coaches say the divide is 52% men. The swing goes dramatically in the opposite direction when it comes to life coaches; their clientele is 69% women.
