KELYA Kelly Services Inc

The importance of continued training and skills development has been highlighted by a recent international workplace survey which shows that more than three-quarters of Americans surveyed believe their current workplace skills will be outdated within five years.

The survey, by global workforce solutions leader Kelly Services, also finds that more than a third of respondents believe the training currently provided by their employers will not meet their future career needs.

The Kelly Global Workforce Index obtained the views of nearly 100,000 people in 34 countries including almost 14,000 in the United States. (To view the index: http://www.kellyservices.com/web/global/services/en/pages/kelly_global_workforce_index.html)

Kelly Services Executive Vice President and General Manager, Mike Webster says that many in the workforce are very aware of the fact that without additional training, their skills will become outdated.

"Many organizations in an effort to cut expenses may eliminate or reduce training opportunities, but this will cause businesses to become less innovative and without the capacity to compete," Webster says.

The survey highlights the significance that employees across all generations place on training and skills development to sustain them in a rapidly changing labor market.

Regional survey findings across generations:

--  Respondents in the West are most concerned about their skill sets with
    82 percent worried that they are becoming outdated.
--  Those in the Northeast are most confident that their current skill
    levels are sustainable.
--  Among Gen Y (aged 18-29), those in the West and Midwest are the most
    worried about their skills.
--  Gen X (aged 30-47) is more concerned about the adequacy of their
    skills than any other age group.
--  Respondents in the South express the highest level of satisfaction
    with the quality of training provided by their employers.
--  More than half of baby boomers (aged 48-65) say they have been let
    down by their employer's human resources departments in managing their
    careers, with those in the Northeast the most critical.
    

Across all regions, men generally are more concerned than women about their skill set and have a higher expectation of their employers in managing their careers.

Among respondents, more than three-quarters (77 percent) say that training should be a joint responsibility between an employer and employee. The preference among those surveyed is for on-the-job training (42 percent), followed by professional development courses (26 percent), self-initiated learning (20 percent) and formal university or college qualifications (12 percent).

Webster says the findings reveal the depth of concern across the population at the capacity of the current skills base to meet new workforce challenges.

"The current economic environment has made people very aware of their skills and whether they will be sufficient to survive the recession and beyond, into a period of economic recovery," Webster says.

About the Kelly Global Workforce Index

The Kelly Global Workforce Index is a survey revealing opinions about work and the workplace from a generational viewpoint. Results of the current findings from across Kelly's global operations in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific will be published throughout 2009 in a series of six releases.

About Kelly Services

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA) (NASDAQ: KELYB) is a world leader in workforce management services and human resources solutions, offering temporary staffing services, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time placement to clients on a global basis. Kelly provides employment to nearly 650,000 employees annually, with skills including office services, accounting, engineering, information technology, law, science, marketing, creative services, light industrial, education, and health care. Revenue in 2008 was $5.5 billion. Visit www.kellyservices.com

Media contact: Judith Clark Kelly Services (248) 244-5362 judith_clark@kellyservices.com