The challenges of high-skilled and low-skilled workers in the marketplace have been well-documented. But right now, it appears that many of the best opportunities may be in lesser-known "middle-skill" jobs.

These are the jobs that usually require more than a high school diploma but less than a four-year degree. Nearly three-fourths of U.S. companies expect increased demand for these workers in coming years, according to new research from Accenture. However, 56 percent of employers are having trouble filling these types of vacancies.

"The majority of U.S. employers across many business sectors are having great difficulty filling middle-skills positions, despite the fact that unemployment and under-employment remain a challenge for many Americans," said David Smith, senior managing director Accenture Strategy, Talent & Organization in New York City. "Our research provides employers with tangible and practical advice about how to address the underlying issues that contribute to the skills gap and how to improve their processes to source, develop, deploy and retain middle-skills talent."                

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Nearly 70 percent of respondents said the middle-skills shortage regularly affects their performance. The shortfall is blamed mainly on inadequate training and lack of experience.

"There are two key ways to cultivate talent," Smith said. "You can tap the power of an organization's existing workforce and build those skills from within, or you can develop new talent externally through a network of trusted partners."

Accenture recommends four steps to reduce the shortfall:

  1. Map future talent needs. As a first step, companies must improve forecasting and planning to better understand which positions and skills they need most.
  2. Build the talent pipeline. Companies have a valuable opportunity to work with community colleges or technical schools to develop curricula that build the required skills and experience.
  3. Develop talent-pool relationships. The business community must work with a vast network of partners, including education institutions and community organizations, to establish themselves as employers of choice with potential middle-skills job seekers.
  4. Reinvigorate talent development. Companies must provide current and prospective employees with access to a variety of internships, apprenticeships, ongoing training programs and upskilling opportunities to create a clear career path for middle-skills employees.

The Accenture Middle Skills Survey was conducted in 2014 with more than 800 U.S. human resources executives across 18 industries. It is being released in advance of an upcoming report by Accenture, Burning Glass Technologies and Harvard Business School that examines the impact of the middle-skills gap on U.S. competitiveness and provides targeted solutions for employers, educators and policymakers to improve their talent pipeline for middle-skills positions.

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Alan Goforth

Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.