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Many business leaders fear shortages of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) talent in the coming years.
Authors: Craig Elizabeth, Thomas Robert J., Hou Charlene and Smriti Mathur
Countless reports contend that the lack of STEM talent could hold back economic growth, especially in developed economies. And surveys show that managers believe that they won’t be able to find enough trained people to meet their needs.
However, our research suggests that, in many cases, the real problem is one of location mismatch: talented people are available but not always in the places where they are needed. Location mismatch will force individual companies to venture well beyond their traditional hunting grounds for STEM talent. While it may be possible to find STEM skills around the world, many employers lack the competency to search effectively in a global labor market.