A new nationwide survey finds skill shortages across all job categories, adversely affecting companies’ service quality, revenue growth and productivity.

Industrial staffing company TrueBlue surveyed nearly 1,500 human resource, operations and business managers across a range of industries, company size and geographic regions, finding that:

• 32% can’t find workers to fill low-skill positions (high school diploma or less, little to no experience)
• 46% can’t find workers for middle-skill jobs (some post-secondary education, experience)
• 35% can’t find workers for high-skill jobs (4-year degree or higher, specialized experience)

In response to these talent shortages, 41% of companies report plans to raise compensation for entry-level workers and nearly half (46%) plan to train and hire long-term unemployed individuals in the coming year.

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