Workforce Issues: Corporations Need Qualified 21st Century Workers

Human resource managers and recruiters from both the private and public sectors have one thing in common: They are looking for qualified 21st century workers at a time when 80% of all jobs will require at least some education beyond high school. More than ever before, employers want people who can do more than just read and write.

Take a look at the profile of a preferred employee at Dell, Inc., a leader in the highly competitive computer industry.

Not unexpectedly, businesses such as Dell want people with abilities in corporate organization and finance. But they also want self-starters who can work as team members to solve problems. They want people who are comfortable in diverse cultural settings with a command of at least two world languages. They want employees who exhibit unquestionable integrity and get results.

Here are some common employee problems that employers face:

We have found that most of our new employees, including, in particular, the MBAs, don't know how to write a concise, coherent report. . [O]ur new employees are lacking in such fundamental things as work ethic, socialization in the collaborative work environment, . multi-tasking as a way of life, and being congenial and team-oriented, instead of just being out for themselves.
Human Resource Executive, Intel Corporation

A surprising number of our new management hires don't seem to be able to 'connect the dots'. They just come into a situation without having given any thought to the dynamics of the environment they have entered. And this is in a global economy [where] all the multinationals are downscaling, which means that our new hires have to work harder and be even faster on their feet.
Human Resource Executive, Coca-Cola Company

More and more we need our new people to have practical skills ... to be good at fund-raising, to be able to take the initiative, and to be able to work independently with little supervision. We need our new people to know how to manage a budget. And we need our new people to have command of one or two other languages in addition to their native language.
Executive, United Nations Affiliate