Now Fighting for Tech Talent: Makers of Turbines, Tools and Toyotas

For some positions that Siemens AG SIEGY 1.43% needs to fill, there may be a universe of fewer than 2,000 qualified people in the U.S., said Michael Brown, vice president of talent acquisition in the Americas for the German industrial conglomerate that makes everything from gas turbines to mammography machines. "The question is how many of those are looking for a job?" Finding the right potential candidates on sites like LinkedIn isn't easy because "they're tired of being found." Siemens has 377,000 employees world-wide and about 50,000 in the U.S. At the moment, it has about 1,500 open jobs across America, most of which require some software or science-related background. Employers are handicapped by several factors, data show and recruiters say: Cutting-edge skills are evolving faster than universities can train people, the supply of talented young workers entering these fields isn't satisfying the huge demand for them, and mobility--a worker's willingness to uproot their life for a job in a new place--has declined. The odds of luring rare, coveted candidates away from their current job or city are long, Mr. Brown said.