“The 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill In America”

It might be hard to believe that any employer is struggling to fill positions, since the unemployment rate reached 8.9% in April, up from 5% a year before. But the Manpower survey found that employers are having a very hard time filling jobs for “skilled workers” in specific niches. Geography plays a significant role too. "To see something better, you have to look at specific jobs." - Jonas Prising, Manpower's president for the Americas.

Engineer

For the second year in a row, engineer is the hardest job to fill in America.

Obama administration's pledge to rebuild America's infrastructure is increasing the need for talented engineers.

Why are engineers so hard to find? "We have whole generations of people loving liberal arts, not going into science and math," says Larry Jacobson, executive director of the National Society of Professional Engineers.

There are several reasons it's hard for employers to find qualified engineers, says Jonas Prising, Manpower's president for the Americas.

First, the federal stimulus program is hastening the rebuilding of America's highways, bridges and tunnels, and the refitting of buildings to be more sustainable, which is making the demand for engineers soar. The demand for new sustainable energy sources such as wind farms is increasing too. Meanwhile, the profession's most experienced workers are retiring in droves. Employers don't want to hire two or three engineers with a variety of specialties; they want one engineer who is trained in several areas. There are far too few new college graduates in engineering to replace retiring engineers.

Nurse

There are several causes of this shortage. First, the demand for them is higher than ever because the aging American population needs more and more health care, and advances in medicine are enabling nurses' patients to survive and need treatment longer, while many nurses are reaching retirement age. Also, advances in medical care require more nurses to assist in treatment. However, there's a shortage of nurse educators, so while demand for professionals is great, there aren't enough teachers to train the next generation fast enough.

Skilled Trades

Needs variety of workers with specialized skills acquired at vocational schools or in on-the-job-training during apprenticeships.

The professions include electrician, bricklayer, carpenter, cabinetmaker, mason, plumber and welder. There's a shortage of these workers because so many young people are encouraged to attend four-year colleges, not vocational schools. Also, these jobs are physically demanding. "It's one of the baffling shortages of skills, since they're well-paid, flexible positions," Prising says. "You can have gainful employment for a long time. This isn't work that will be outsourced or disappear. It's locally based work with geographically transferable skills."

Teacher

Many schools find it hard to hire qualified teachers, because becoming a teacher often requires a graduate degree, but salaries remain relatively low. Meanwhile, they need more teachers, with many baby boomers retiring. "If there aren't enough teachers, we can't make more graduates." - Karen L. Miller

Sales Representative

Salespeople are in demand during tough economies because they're instrumental in companies' growth. But it takes a long time to become a skilled sales representative, since it involves serious training and becoming an expert in your product and its market. Also, you need a mix of soft skills and technical skills, a tough combination to find.

Technician

These are workers in engineering, technical, operations or maintenance roles that may be classified as either skilled or semi-skilled workers. They often support professionals who have deeper skill bases. Like workers in skilled trades, technicians are trained at vocational schools, and they're in short supply because so many high school students are encouraged to go to four-year colleges instead.

Driver

Truck driver, to be specific. They are hard to recruit because they have to be away from home for long periods, receive low wages, work very long hours and put up with a fluctuating workload.

Information Technology Staff

These professionals have been on Manpower's list for four years, and Prising says they'll probably remain there for several more. There's a huge demand for them because virtually every aspect of global business--and modern-day life in general--requires computers and computer networks. Also, advancing takes additional education in a world of constantly changing technology.

Laborer

This is very physical, unskilled and often repetitive work at low pay.

Machinist or Machine Operator

Highly skilled workers are in demand, mostly in manufacturing. With all the news reports about how manufacturing is leaving America, many young people chose not to go into this field. But American manufacturing does still very much exist, and it needs skilled machinists.