The Global Skills Convergence: Issues and Ideas for the Management of an International Workforce
9-1-2008
"Increasing globalization, combined with the effects of what we call the 'demographic faultline,' will present challenges for multinational corporations unprepared for the change," said Bernard Salt, a partner with KPMG in Australia - a KPMG International member firm - and primary author of the study. "Our study argues that the labor shortage will result in what we call a 'global skills convergence' - a net flow of skilled and unskilled workers migrating between the developed and developing worlds as barriers to entry continue to diminish. Companies should be ready to manage their workforces in this new reality," he said.
"Multinational corporations can and should begin preparing for this new environment by establishing leadership groups, exposing staff to international cultures, and drawing on local staff to manage country offices," Salt added. "These and other steps have proven to be effective strategies that have eased the transition in several global corporations."
The KPMG study also predicts that selected countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, as well as India, will not face the same labor shortages. As a consequence, economic migration from areas of labor surplus to areas of labor demand may occur later in the century.
"This would be the ultimate expression of Thomas Friedman's concept of the flat world: first the globalization of capital, then information, technology and work tasks, and now the globalization of talent and labor," said Salt.
Project Announcements
Kimberly-Clark Expands Aiken County, South Carolina, Distribution Operations
05/04/2025
Aerowerks Plans Gaffney, South Carolina, Manufacturing Operations
05/04/2025
Sweden-Based Troax Group Plans Portland, Tennessee, Manufacturing Operations
05/04/2025
Kimberly-Clark Corporation Plans Warren, Ohio, Manufacturing Operations
05/04/2025
Denmark-Based Novonesis Expands Salem, Virginia, Production Operations
05/04/2025
Polyvlies USA Expands Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Manufacturing Operations
05/04/2025
Most Read
-
Run a Job Task Analysis
Q4 2024
-
39th Annual Corporate & 21st Annual Consultants Surveys: What Business Leaders and Consultants Are Saying About Site Selection
Q1 2025
-
The Location Economics of Advanced Nuclear
Q1 2025
-
Why Workforce Readiness Can’t Wait
Q1 2025
-
Power, Policy, and Site Selection in 2025
Q1 2025
-
Is It Time to Start Planning for Quantum Data Centers?
Q1 2025
-
Top States for Doing Business in 2024: A Continued Legacy of Excellence
Q3 2024