Are millions of people missing from the modern workforce? Hung Lee says yes, there is a talent shortage, although not every employer is thinking ahead to fill the gaps likely to appear in their workforce.

Lee is the editor and curator at Recruiting Brainfood, one of the HR industry’s most respected sources covering talent acquisition. This seasoned recruitment industry professional delivered a highly anticipated keynote at the inaugural HR Technology Europe Conference in Amsterdam in early May.

In his session, Talent Shortage 2024: The Myths and Realities for the Missing Millions, Lee shared five theories explaining why employers worldwide are experiencing significant challenges finding the people they need to fill their workforce.

These reasons include a “demographic crisis” arising from an aging society; a mismatch of skills that people hold compared to those that employers need; “elite overproduction” of university graduates that has depleted the labor force for essential jobs; a geographical imbalance leaving open roles in places where the bulk of people don’t live; and an increase in mental and physical disabilities that are removing people entirely from the workforce.

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