A stark reminder of how tough the labor market is in some parts of the world came yesterday when a meatworks/abattoir and other businesses featured on a major Australian current affairs program yesterday. These businesses are facing closure because their need for people exceeds the number of workers available.

This is happening in pockets around the world - certain geographies, skillsets or combinations of both are facing real challenges.  And it is this pocketed aspect which presents danger for employers - we often see people looking at the profile of their entire workforce, rather than segmenting effectively and looking for "hot spots".  Because even if you aren't running out of workers across the board, if you run out in any small but critical areas of your business, you'll be in real trouble.

It's not difficult to segment the workforce and look for risky areas, but it doesn't seem to be done with discipline.  Are you finding hot spots in your workforce?