The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 621
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERNATIONAL AND HUNGARIAN TALENT
SHORTAGE
Má ia Héde
1
, K isz ina Dajnoki
2
1
Ká oly Ih ig Doc o al School o Managemen and Business, Uni e si y o Deb ecen,
Hunga y
2
Depa men o Human Resou ce Managemen , Ins i u e o Managemen and
O ganiza ion Sciences, Facul y o Economics and Business, Uni e si y o
Deb ecen, Hunga y
hede .ma [email protected]
dajnoki.k isz [email protected]
Abs ac : The cu en challenge o he labou ma ke is he labou sho age
appea ing e en on a global le el. Nowadays he majo i y o employe s ace his
p oblem he handling o which has become one o he cen al asks o a human
esou ce manage besides keeping he employees. The appea ance o labou
sho age is ealised on di e en le els in he ma ke (expe sho age, knowledge
sho age, skilled wo ke sho age e c.) o which he la es app oach is he lack o
alen ed employees. I is i al o de ine p ecisely and in e p e he p oblem in o de
o ackle i e ec i ely. The esea ch elied on Hunga ian and in e na ional li e a u e
o p o ide an answe o he igh de ini ion o alen ed employee and he lack o i .
The appea ance o alen sho age canno be connec ed o a single s a e bu i can
be looked upon as globally ex ensi e. The mos ho ough mapping o he alen ed
employee sho age on an in e na ional le el has been done by a Manpowe G oup
esea ch wi h he help o which we can ecei e de ailed in o ma ion abou he global
scales and he endencies expe ienced in he measu ed coun ies. The esul s o he
esea ch d aw conclusions om he di icul ies o illing posi ions highligh ing he
scale o alen ed employee sho age in he coun ies measu ed. We a e gi en an
answe o which p o essional ields a e he mos di icul o ind he igh employee
o . I also e eals wha di icul ies he employe s a e acing and how hey y o
handle he p oblem. The s udy in oduces a ew a ge ed solu ion s a egies o
manage alen sho age based on li e a u e and Manpowe expe
ecommenda ions. The need o excellen people has undoub edly become one o
he mos p essing economic ques ions which equi es a a ge ed solu ion as soon
as possible. To make his happen i would be use ul o do a esea ch which
speci ically e eals he Hunga ian peculia i ies which can in e p e he ques ion
coun y-speci ic hus could p o ide a mo e e icien help o shape a solu ion s a egy.
Keywo ds: alen , labou ma ke , labou sho age, abili y, human esou ce
managemen
JEL classi ica ion: E20; E29; F66; J00; J24; O15.
1. In oduc ion
An ine i able pa o he cu en labou ma ke si ua ion is managing he labou
ela ed di icul ies. F om he employe ’s side he s a e o labou sho age makes he
o ganiza ional e e yday ha de . One o i s causes is he g owing demand o quali y
labou . Nowadays labou sho age a ec s employe s on se e al le els, i appea s
The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 622
mos o en in he o m o p o essionals sho age, knowledge sho age, skilled wo ke
sho age, a he same ime expe s ha e ecen ly speci ied ano he a ea mo e
equen ly which is iden i ied as alen sho age.
The lack o balance occu ing in he alen ma ke is ob iously no unique and i
a ec s no only one coun y bu i can be obse ed as a global phenomenon.
Because o he unbalanced labou ma ke p esen in he majo i y o coun ies no
only he small coun ies bu e en he bigges ones su e spec acula ly. “Despi e he
high unemploymen global economy has en e ed he decade o unp eceden ed
alen sho age” – s a ed a he Wo ld Economic Fo um, which ga he s he leading
wo ld powe s, in 2010 (Wo ld Economic Fo um, 2010). Tha is why i is wo h
examining he si ua ion o o he coun ies be o e dealing wi h he Hunga ian s a is ics
in o de o ecei e a ealis ic benchma k and o iew he s a e o he local labou
ma ke p opo iona ely. Ha ing measu ed he in e na ional si ua ion in e ms o alen
sho age we can iew he na ional endencies in a mo e a ge ed way. Conside ing
ha his ype o labou sho age has been de ined on na ional le el ecen ly, no
speci ic na ional su ey has been made in his ma e hus we can only wo k wi h
in e na ional esul s o esul s ha a ec ou coun y and he ela ed da a when we
wan o iden i y he Hunga ian alen sho age.
The ealiza ion o he esea ch could be jus i ied om se e al aspec s. On he one
hand, in he cu en s a e o he na ional labou ma ke we can obse e
unemploymen and labou sho age a he same ime which pu s a hea y bu den on
he economy and i a ec s he employees and employe s as well. Re ealing he
ex en and de ails o alen sho age can p o ide use ul in o ma ion o bo h a ge
g oups ha can suppo a mo e e icien employmen and mo e e icien ec ui men .
On he o he hand, he p oblem o labou sho age a ec s he whole en e p ise and
has been unable o e e se i sel so a a ge ed in e en ion is essen ial o c ea e a
long-las ing solu ion. Supposing ha he mos impo an s ep o sol e a p oblem is
o ge o know i in i s minu es de ails hus e ealing i can mean he i al backg ound
piece o he gene al solu ion and can se e as hough -p o oking o he ield’s
expe s.
2. Labou ma ke aspec s o alen and alen sho age
Acco ding o S e nbe g and Da idson (1990) he de ini ion o alen can always be
deduc ed om he expec a ions and needs o he p e ailing socie y. This depends
on in wha aspec he no ion becomes impo an a he gi en pe iod hus we can
s a e ha he de ini ion and he e alua ion can change depending on he age and
place. Based on he Hunga ian Concise Dic iona y (2003) alen means mos ly an
ins inc and abili y owa ds some hing. We canno p oduce a gene ally applicable
de ini ion hough scien is ag ee ha i con ains some kind o special inne powe
which assu es he possibili y o g owing social p oduc i i y (Gya ma hy 2006).
Examining om a p ac ical poin o iew one o he mos gene ally accep ed no ions
on a na ional le el is connec ed o Czeizel (1997) which says ha alen is a ce ain
deg ee o po en ial and p omise ega ding ha he indi idual can p oduce
ou s anding esul in he ield o some kind o human p o ession o ac i i y ha is
socially use ul and on op o ha i ills he indi idual sa is ac ion and sense o
achie emen . Unde he de ini ion o alen “we desc ibe a complex no uni o mly
de inable quali y g oup which mos gene ally enables he indi idual o a socially
use ul ac i i y a a highe han a e age s anda d” (He sko i s, 2005). S a ing om
The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 623
hese desc ip ions we can summa ize ha alen sho age on he labou ma ke
shows a sho age o hose people whose wo k gene ally p oduces ou s anding
pe o mances and in ol es high po en ial, he key o hei achie emen s assumes a
special inne d i ing o ce. The no el y o he exp ession “ alen sho age” is
suppo ed mainly by he ac ha he Hunga ian Concise Dic iona y canno p oduce
a meaning o he de ini ion so when in e p e ing i we can mos ly ely on wha he
esea che s o he ield ha e pu down. Ne e heless i means ha we deal wi h a
ela i ely young exp ession which is no ha well-sp ead in he Hunga ian language
and i is also jus i ied by he low ma ches o e ed by he Google sea ch engine. The
in e p e a ion is u he made di icul because he e is no no ion ha summa izes
he ph ase in he Hunga ian li e a u e mos ly he meaning can be in e p e ed only by
ela ing explana ion. Bu in many cases he e is no uni ied usage o he no ion in
e ms o con en in he no oo ich li e a u e ela ed o he opic. Acco ding o one o
he simples na ional in e p e a ions “ alen sho age” means he inc eased demand
o alen s and he dec ease o he alen supply a ailable (Balogh, 2014). Acco ding
o Szabó (2011) alen sho age can be de ined as ela i e, which is quali y labou
sho age. Acco ding o Manpowe ’s epo (2012) i can be connec ed o he lack o
“good” expe s who ha e he igh echnical and p o essional expe ience and he lack
o hem means ob ious slowing down in he ope a ional e e y day. Though he e a e
esea ches which o ally iden i y alen sho age wi h labou sho age among o he s
Rácz (2013) applies he no ion in he same con ex when he w i es ha as an e ec
o he wo ld economic c isis he o e supply o labou and alen sho age appea on
he labou ma ke simul aneously. The e is ano he in e p e a ion which in es s
alen and knowledge wi h he same meaning he esul o which is he almos equal
in e p e a ion o alen sho age and knowledge sho age. Szabó’s (2011)
in e p e a ion is a good example o ha saying ha he cen al aspec o human
capi al and knowledge b ings wi h i sel he impo ance o esea ching alen - ela ed
di icul ies in a p ima y way bo h in p ac ical li e and on a heo e ical le el. In
Manpowe ’s (2013) epo unlike in he p e ious yea alen sho age is ela ed o
p o essional skills and he labou ma ke in gene al. “In he Ame ican con inen alen
sho age is mos ly caused by he lack o p ope echnical, p o essional skills (so-
called ha d skills) and he lack o applican s in gene al”. Thus he exp ession alen
sho age is ela ed o he hin laye o employees who can help hei employees o
compe i i e ad an age on he ma ke h ough hei ce ain, pe sonal skills ( alen s).
Thei economic alue hus can be looked upon as in e sely p opo ional o hei
quan i y a ailable. I is also impo an o unde line ha alen sho age appea s as
quali y sho age on he job ma ke which means ha in many cases quan i a i ely
he e a e enough candida es o a posi ion bu o he lack o quali y hey canno be
employed o he gi en posi ion. Mo eo e we should no o ge ha by in e p e ing
labou sho age i emains a i al aspec o employ he igh pe son o he igh job
which is he basic a ge o human esou ce managemen . The igh pe son in he
igh posi ion does no equal he alen ed employee hough since om a job ma ke
poin o iew he alen ed employee will be he one who can no only s and his o he
g ound in one posi ion bu can be “deployed in se e al on s”. We can asce ain ha
hanks o he changing en i onmen al e ec s a special compe i ion has e ol ed ha
has led o he app ecia ion o he signi icance o abili ies and skills (Dajnoki – Kun,
2016). Acco ding o Ge gely (2016) he abili ies and skills become de ini i e no jus
in a gene al sense bu ob iously con ibu e o ca ee de elopmen nowadays. No o
men ion ha om a Deloi e (2015) su ey i is clea ha possessing he necessa y
The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 624
abili ies on an employe le el is a key o consume sa is ac ion which is one o he
keys o o ganiza ional e ec i eness. Fu he mo e quali y labou is he de e minan
o business success as well which is a uni e sal law ha will ne e change based
on he 2016 su ey o SHRM. To use a common me apho , i we look a he labou
ma ke as a house o ca ds – e.g. ummy – he igh employee a he igh place
could be he “ace”, bu canno compe e wi h he “Joke ” who can be a “King”
anywhe e, “Ace” oo bu i i is necessa y can be a “Two”, as well. So a good
wo k o ce can be e y aluable and indispensable as well bu only wi hin i s own ield
while a alen ed employee can con inuously ep oduce i sel and s and i s g ound a
he igh place in he necessa y condi ion and pe o ms well – hus he/she becomes
he Joke o he labou s a .
3. Talen sho age as a global phenomena
A lo o esea ches and analyses ha e been done conce ning he impedimen s
occu ing on he job ma ke om which he mos o en ci ed p oblem s ems om he
disp opo ion o job demand and supply. As a esul o o e supply unemploymen
happens while o e demand c ea es labou sho age. Bo h si ua ions o m an
ex eme s a e on he ma ke as a esul o which he economy will su e and ha is
why he e is a cons an pu sui o c ea e he op imum le el.
The concep ha alen sho age causes p oblems no jus in ou na ional economy
is p o en by Go don’s (2009:38) su ey showing ha al eady in 2009 62% o he
o al jobs in he USA equi e high quali ica ion and simul aneously i means highe
wages. To ill hese posi ions app oxima ely 97 million people would be needed bu
aking quali ica ions in o accoun only 45 million people ha e he necessa y
quali ica ions. 38% o he jobs all in o low-paymen ca ego y and equi es low
quali ica ion. The economy would equi e 61 million people o hese a eas al hough
o hese ypes o jobs 100 million people would be a ailable acco ding o s a is ical
da a. While he e is an o e demand o highe quali y jobs (labou sho age) he e
is an o e supply o lowe quali y jobs (labou su plus) in he Ame ican economy.
Manpowe which is a company dealing wi h empo a y employmen and human
esou ce has done se e al su eys in di e en coun ies conce ning alen ed
employees. Since he beginning o 2000 hey ha e published in e na ional esul s
conce ning he ex en o labou . I is impo an o poin ou ha conce ning he ex en
o alen sho age Manpowe su eys do no di e en ia e be ween he demand o
alen and knowledge hus hey handle hese a eas as one opic. The eason o his
is ha he wo aspec s a e ha d o sepa a e wi hin he wo ld o labou so in ac he
su ey shows he simul aneous lack o alen and knowledge in a global con ex .
Thus om a me hodological poin o iew he in e p e a ion and app oach become
dispu able howe e , cu en ly he e is no mo e p ecise and ho ough publicly
a ailable su ey ha we know o , o measu e his special labou ma ke ac o
he e o e my analysis has been made by using hese da a (Szabó 2012).
Du ing i s 2010 su ey Manpowe con ac ed 35,000 employees in 36 coun ies and
om hei answe s i ound ha 31% o employe s ha e di icul ies o ill he a ailable
posi ions and one o he easons is he lack o alen ed employees. In some sec o s
o example heal h, educa ion, IT sec o and business se ices – independen o hei
geog aphical loca ion – he e is a di e en bu de e mina i e sho age o alen s. As
a logical consequence o his condi ion du ing he “ igh ” o hese well-posi ioned
alen s we could no ice he “seduc ion” o alen s om one o ganiza ion o ano he o
The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 625
om one coun y o ano he (Szabó 2011). In 2010 Japan was he coun y whe e i
was he mos di icul o ind employees o he acan posi ions (76 % o he
employe s indica ed ha hey cope wi h hese di icul ies), he coun ies ollowing
Japan we e B azil (64%), A gen ina (53%) and Singapo e (53%), in Hunga y he
a io was 30% in 2010 (Manpowe , 2010 p.3). Since he 2010 esul s he si ua ion
has no changed much p opo ionally un il now, one o he bigges changes is
connec ed o he numbe o measu ed coun ies since in he 2016 su ey 43
coun ies we e in ol ed (Figu e 1.).
Figu e 1. The di icul ies o illing acan posi ions acco ding o employe s based on
Manpowe su ey (in a pe cen age)
Sou ce: Manpowe 2016/2017 alen sho age su ey
Acco ding o he esul s Japan s ill ops he lis o coun ies compa ed. Compa ing
he esul s wi h he ones in 2010 we ind ha in he las 6 yea s he numbe o
employees acing di icul ies o ill acan posi ions ha e isen by 10% in Japan while
in Hunga y i has doubled, which aises he possibili y o signi ican alen sho age.
Whe eas in Japan which ops he lis 83% o he employe s ace hese di icul ies he
p opo ions in Pe u is 68%, B azil 64%. In he Eu opean egion he leading g oup o
coun ies a e Romania (73%), G eece (62%) and Hunga y (60%). Romania, which
is a he op o he lis in Eu ope, has been con inuously abo e he a e age since
2008 when i comes o job illing di icul ies. This sugges s ha he coun y’s labou
supply ela ed p oblems a e no new and a e ex emely high on a Eu opean le el.
Du ing he measu ed pe iod (be ween 2008 and 2016) i has been o e he
Hunga ian job illing di icul y le el wi h he excep ion o 2014. Ou coun y wi h i s
60 % has eached he “noble” 9
h
place among he 43 coun ies anked in he su ey.
Bu his posi ion in he leading g oup is no some hing o be p oud o since he esul s,
conside ing he size o he compa ed coun ies, mean a signi ican sho age in ou
coun y, which is u he con i med by he la es Manpowe su ey (2016) which
shows ha he lack o alen ed labou has doubled since 2010. Based on his we can
s a e ha he e has been a signi ican demand g ow h ecen ly in connec ion wi h

The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 626
he exis ence o he igh o in ano he e m alen ed labou . Fu he analysis o he
da a p o ides he oppo uni y o ge o know ha among he measu ed coun ies
p opo iona ely in how many o hem mo e han hal o he employe s indica ed job
illing di icul ies (Figu e 2.) as well as wha p opo ion o hese coun ies a e
Eu opean o non-Eu opean.
Figu e 2. The ex en o job illing di icul ies acco ding o employe s in a pe cen age
sp ead
Sou ce: Manpowe 2016/2017 alen sho age su ey, own edi ing based on hese
da a (2017)
Based on he esul o he analysis we can asce ain ha in 72% o he sample ha
is 31 coun ies less han hal o he employe s ace job illing di icul ies while in 12
coun ies (among o he s in Hunga y) which is 28% o he sample we can ecognize
a highe sho age which shows a mo e han 50 % job illing di icul ies. Fu he mo e
we can see ha 53.5% o he coun ies belong o Eu ope and a li le less han hal
o hem a e no si ua ed on he Eu opean con inen . Ou o he coun ies showing a
The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 627
mo e han 50% alue only ou o m a pa o Eu ope (Hunga y included) he
emaining 8 coun ies do no belong o his egion.
To sum i up, whe eas mos o he coun ies measu ed a e si ua ed in Eu ope he
highe ex en o alen sho age can be obse ed in non-Eu opean egions s ill ou
coun y is among he leading Eu opean coun ies conce ning he lack o alen ed
labou .
In an in e na ional su ey Wo k o ce (2014) ga he ed he po en ial challenges which
he employe s ha e o ace due o he labou ma ke p ocesses (Figu e 3.).
Figu e 3. The expec ed mos signi ican challenges o o ganiza ions conce ning
wo k o ce
Sou ce: Wo k o ce (2014)
The c ea ed “impedimen ca ego ies” we e de ined as a sho age in he de e minan
ac o s and hese could mean he main ba ie s in he u u e o each o ganiza ional
a ge s. Based on he su ey we can include adequa e leade ship, employee loyal y,
adequa e echnology, in e nal esou ces (e.g. compe i i e pay), engaged
employees, a ailable employees and alen ed employees.
4. Labou and alen sho age in Hunga y
The p oblem o labou sho age as i is ob ious om he da a can be conside ed a
wo ld phenomenon hough i is impo an o poin ou ha i can shake Hunga ian
The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 628
employe s e en mo e han he global a e age. This sho age can be in e p e ed as
ex ensi e and ela ed o he whole labou ma ke om which e en he ci ilian
o ganisa ions a e no excep ions since ypically e en in his a ea he e is a limi ed
wo k o ce a ailable (Pie og-Szabados, 2015). This can be aced back o he ac
ha hey mus igh o he ou s anding expe s no jus wi h he Hunga ian
compe i o s bu also wi h he Wes e n-Eu opean and mul ina ional companies. Bu
in his pu sui he bo le-neck is he low wages ha a e o e ed by Hunga ian
employe s. The po en ial pay ise in many cases can pu he o ganisa ions’
compe i i eness a isk which all employe s y o a oid howe e , ch onic labou
sho age also leads he e (Dalányi, 2016).
Figu e 4. The changing a e o he numbe o unemployed and he ad e ised acan
posi ions compa ison based on da a be ween 2012-2016 Q3
Sou ce: KSH (Cen al S a is ical Agency) (a) (2017), KSH (b) (2017) own edi ing
One o he mos gene ally applied index o measu e he ex en o labou and alen
sho age acco ding o he Manpowe su eys is he a io o job illing di icul ies. On
a na ional le el examining he si ua ion o job illing di icul ies can be analysed based
on KSH (Cen al S a is ical Au ho i y) da abases. We can see ha he numbe o
acan posi ions ha e g own con inuously in he las 5 yea s while simul aneously
he numbe o unemployed show a dec easing endency (Figu e 4.). S a ing om
he ela ion o he wo ac o s i is p edic able ha he e is an in e se a io be ween
he wo. So he mo e we aise he numbe o acan posi ions he mo e
unemploymen dec eases – so he e is a e y close connec ion be ween hem which
can be conside ed signi ican . I is a ac hough ha du ing he ecen measu ed
yea s he e ha e been signi ican di e ence be ween he wo alues hough ollowing
he endencies wi hin he nex ew yea s he dispu ed numbe s can be in close
p oximi y. Though he ques ion is, i we can o ally elimina e unemploymen only by
inc easing he con inuously g owing acan posi ions. Conside ing he s a is ics we
can say ha i is only a ques ion o ime and he o al elimina ion o unemploymen
26471
32223
37759
46559
57876
454500
429600
331500
292700
226500
0 100000 200000 300000 400000 500000
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Numbe o unemployed Numbe o ad e ised acan posi ions
The Annals o he Uni e si y o O adea. Economic Sciences, Tom XXVI 2017, Issue 1 629
will happen ( hough simul aneously a huge, disp opo iona ely big job illing di icul y
occu s on he employe ’s side) i he a io con inues o de elop simila ly. In eali y
hough we canno handle his ques ion so one-sidedly since he e is only a small
pe cen age o quali ied wo k o ce among jobseeke s which is mos needed on he
labou ma ke (Vi o ácz, 2016).
The solu ion could s em om he change o unemploymen base mul i ude s uc u e
(quali ica ion, li e acy, skill, abili y e c.) since in i s cu en s a e he labou demand
on he ma ke equi ed by employe s does no ma ch he openly a ailable labou
supply. By imp o ing he quali ies and knowledge o employees on he open labou
ma ke he numbe o alen ed employees needed o he o ganisa ions can be
inc eased. This could lead o signi ican economic equaliza ion since in he expec ed
u u e pe iod “consume need” ( om he employe s’ side) would g ow cons an ly o
he “quali y ma e ial” which appea s in he o m o alen ed wo k o ce (Manpowe
2015 (b)).
Due o he ac ha a some a eas he lack o employees is especially high in ce ain
p o essions job illing di icul y eme ges. Based on Manpowe ’s la es su ey we can
es ablish a na ional and in e na ional lis o he op 10 occupa ions whe e i is he
mos di icul o ind employees o , which we can see in Table 1. in a descending
o de .
Table 1. The mos di icul posi ions o be illed in Hunga y in 2015/2016
The mos di icul posi ions o be
illed in Hunga y in 2015/2016
The mos di icul posi ions o be
illed globally in 2015/2016
1. Skilled wo ke s (elec ician, joine ,
welde e c.)
1. Skilled wo ke s (elec ician, joine ,
welde e c.)
2.D i e s 2.IT p o essionals
3.Enginee s ( echnical, elec ical,
building)
3.Sales manage s
4.Wo ke s in he ca e ing indus y 4.Enginee s
5.Doc o s and o he heal h wo ke s 5.Technicians
6.IT p o essionals 6.D i e s
7.G oup leade s 7.Accoun ancy and inancial
p o essionals
8.Accoun ancy and inancial
p o essionals
8.G oup leade s
9.Nu ses 9.Machine ope a o s
10.Semi-skilled wo ke s, machine
ope a o s
10.O ice assis an
Sou ce: Based on Manpowe alen sho age su ey 2016/2017 own edi ing
Supplying IT p o essionals s ands a six h on a na ional le el in he di icul y anking.
Fo Eu opean coun ies i could mean signi ican di icul ies ha in he coming pe iod
he e could be a conside able sho age o p ope ly quali ied IT p o essionals. The
lack o p o essionals needed can dampen he a ea’s economic g ow h and dec ease
i s compe i i eness. In h ee yea s he e would be ano he hal a million IT wo ke s
less han needed – Financial Times ci ing he p edic ion o IDC ma ke Resea ch
Company om 2010. The accu acy o he heo y is p o en by Má k’s (2016) esul
ha is he e a e mo e han 20,000 IT p o essionals missing om he na ional ma ke .