Hennequin said he would choose pillows over macarons--pastries produced by Lenotre--when it comes to investments. However, the company would like to continue working with the caterer, which supplies food for the company's high-end hotels, he added. Accor has shed assets over the years in order to focus resources on the hotels business, most notably its vouchers divio technical areas, like specialized trades, but also sales staff. "There is still unemployment, but companies are having a difficult time finding the people they need to fill their positions. "As the world is becoming more technical, the sales staff are having to become more technical, too," Joerres said. The shortage also applied to laborers, especially in developing markets. "You cannot just throw people at production to get more output," Joerres said. "With the use of (computer numerical control, or CNC) machines, for example, it is more difficult to find the right people." ManpowerGroup's sixth annual talent shortage survey, to be published Thursday, will show that persistent talent shortages across many geographies and industry sectors are frustrating employers who struggle to find qualified talent amid an oversupply of available workers. Although European countries aren't yet feeling such an acute impact of talent shortages, the U.S. has seen a considerable uptick in the number of employers who can't find the talent they need, Joerres said. India now has the second-highest problem with skilled labor shortages. "The number of companies in India reporting difficulty filling vacancies is second only to Japan," Joerres said. "India is a big place with lots of people but there's a shortage of assurance engineers, people who can read blueprints, designers and (computer-aided design, or CAD) designers." Manpower, based in Milwaukee, is looking to expand its operations in emerging markets that make up around 15% of its sales, which reached $5.07 billion in the first quarter of 2011. The company has joint ventures in China, and was expanding into the west of the country away from the highly developed coastal strip. In April, Manpower acquired a 74% stake in Web Development Co. Ltd., which provides IT services and professional staffing in India. Manpower would continue to look at takeover targets, with acquisitions in the $50 million to $500 million price range, Joerres added. It would look at speciality firms, working in the high en