US Firms Want To Increase Workforce

20 Jul 2010

A study by management consulting firm Accenture revealed that about half of large US businesses that laid off employees last year want to rebuild their workforces within 2 years. And, only 13 percent want to reduce their workforce. Most of the companies are less concerned about cost control and more concerned about shortage of skills within the workforce.

Accenture said in a news release that US companies focused primarily on investment in growth-oriented activities such as hiring will increase from 24 percent today to 37 percent within the next 12 months. It also stated that Idled workers may have fallen behind on skills while out of job, forcing them and employers to invest in training. Skills are particularly lacking within sales and customer service workforces.

The study was completed from surveys conducted between January and May with 674 senior executives in 24 countries representing companies with revenues over $250 million (S$344 million). As per Reuters, the US-based results were taken from 117 respondents in the United States.