Leading with the Human Edge: ManpowerGroup and Experis Bring Workforce Intelligence to Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026

Rhea-AI Summary

ManpowerGroup (NYSE:MAN) presents workforce insights and events at Mobile World Congress Barcelona, March 2–5, 2026. The company highlights that AI model development (20%) and AI literacy (19%) are now the hardest-to-fill skills and that 72% of employers still report talent shortages.

ManpowerGroup and Experis will host meet-ups, a hyperautomation workshop, a main-stage session on The Human Edge, and a live Work Intelligence Lab podcast with industry leaders.

News Market Reaction – MAN

-3.40%

16 alerts

-3.40% News Effect

+8.0% Peak in 28 hr 46 min

-$46M Valuation Impact

$1.32B Market Cap

0.4x Rel. Volume

On the day this news was published, MAN declined 3.40%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +8.0% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 16 alerts that day, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility. This price movement removed approximately $46M from the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $1.32B at that time.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

AI model & app dev shortage: 20% AI literacy shortage: 19% Employers lacking talent: 72% +3 more

6 metrics

AI model & app dev shortage 20% Share of employers citing as hardest-to-fill capability in 2026 survey

AI literacy shortage 19% Share of employers citing as hardest-to-fill capability in 2026 survey

Employers lacking talent 72% Employers reporting they cannot find skilled talent they need

MWC attendees 109,000 Professionals expected at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026

Leading IT & telecom firms 95% Share of world’s leading IT and telecom companies attending MWC

Talent Shortage rank 7th place Traditional IT and data skills moved to seventh place globally

Market Reality Check

Price: $30.45 Vol: Volume 1,883,837 is sligh...

normal vol

$30.45 Last Close

Volume Volume 1,883,837 is slightly above the 20-day average of 1,818,026, suggesting typical interest ahead of MWC-related visibility. normal

Technical Trading below the 200-day MA of 36.05, with shares at 27.97 and still 55.84% under the 52-week high.

Peers on Argus

Peers show a mixed picture: BBSI +3.7% and KFRC +2.39% are higher, while KELYB -...

Peers show a mixed picture: BBSI +3.7% and KFRC +2.39% are higher, while KELYB -1.18% and are lower and flat. With MAN up only 0.25%, the move appears stock-specific rather than a clear sector rotation.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 26 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 26	AI talent survey	Positive	+8.0%	Global data showing AI skills as top talent shortage with strong demand signals.
Jan 29	Q4 2025 earnings	Positive	+14.9%	Q4 results with revenue growth, detailed EPS and margin commentary, and guidance.
Jan 29	Earnings correction	Neutral	+14.9%	Clarification of Q4 2025 figures and full-year 2025 results in corrected release.
Jan 20	AI barometer report	Negative	-2.6%	Survey showing rising AI use but falling worker confidence and high burnout.
Jan 16	WEF AI strategy	Positive	-2.9%	Davos initiatives on AI readiness and large-scale training commitments.

Pattern Detected

Recent news blends AI/workforce thought leadership with earnings. AI talent shortage and earnings headlines saw strong positive reactions, while some broader workforce sentiment pieces drew negative moves, indicating investors differentiate between strategic positioning and macro labor concerns.

Recent Company History

Over the last few months, ManpowerGroup has consistently highlighted AI-driven workforce themes and core financial performance. The Q4 2025 results and correction on Jan 29, 2026 featured $4.7B quarterly revenue and a strong +14.95% price reaction. AI-focused surveys on talent shortages and workforce confidence in January and February showed investors responding positively to clear demand signals for AI skills, but less favorably when worker confidence and automation fears dominated. Today’s MWC 2026 announcement continues the narrative of AI, talent scarcity, and “human edge” positioning.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement emphasizes ManpowerGroup’s focus on AI-driven talent scarcity and its role at MWC ...

Analysis

This announcement emphasizes ManpowerGroup’s focus on AI-driven talent scarcity and its role at MWC Barcelona 2026, where over 109,000 professionals and 95% of leading IT and telecom firms gather. It extends recent themes from the Talent Shortage and workforce surveys, highlighting demand for AI skills and upskilling. Investors may track how this visibility translates into concrete client engagements, as well as how future earnings and labor-market data reflect the structural talent shortages described.

Key Terms

hyperautomation, agentic ai, talent acquisition

3 terms

hyperautomation technical

"leads an interactive session on hyperautomation and its real-world applications"

Hyperautomation is the coordinated use of multiple digital tools—like software robots, data analysis, and process-tracking systems—to automate large, complex business workflows end to end. For investors, it matters because it can reduce costs, speed up operations, and improve accuracy across a company’s activities; like replacing a slow, hand‑assembled production line with a network of machines that communicate and self‑adjust, it can boost efficiency and profitability while changing capital and labor needs.

agentic ai technical

"The workshop puts agentic AI to work on one of the most pressing challenges"

Agentic AI refers to computer systems that can make their own decisions and take actions without needing someone to tell them what to do each time. It's like giving a robot a degree of independence to solve problems or achieve goals on its own, which matters because it could change how we work and interact with technology in everyday life.

talent acquisition technical

"real-world applications in talent acquisition and workforce transformation"

Talent acquisition is the ongoing process a company uses to find, attract and hire the people it needs to meet its goals, from entry-level staff to senior leaders. For investors, it matters because the quality, speed and cost of building that workforce affect a company's ability to grow, innovate and control expenses—much like how assembling the right players quickly can change a sports team's season outcome.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

MILWAUKEE, March 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As artificial intelligence shifts from experimentation to enterprise-wide deployment, the technology industry faces a new reality. The challenge is no longer access to innovation, it is access to talent.

Newly released data from ManpowerGroup's 2026 Talent Shortage Survey confirms the shift. For the first time, AI model and application development (20%) and AI literacy (19%) top the global ranking of hardest-to-fill capabilities, displacing engineering and pushing traditional IT and data skills to seventh place. Overall, 72% of employers report they still cannot find the skilled talent they need. The scarcity is not easing. It is evolving.

ManpowerGroup and Experis will bring these insights to Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, March 2–5, where more than 109,000 professionals and 95% of the world's leading IT and telecom companies gather to define what comes next. As the technology ecosystem convenes to showcase what is possible, every CTO, CHRO, and CEO is grappling with the same question — how do you build the human capabilities that make technology actually work?

"The companies winning in the AI era are not simply the ones with the best models, they're the ones with the most capable people and the clearest understanding of the skills their business needs next," said Mara Stefan, VP of Global Insights at ManpowerGroup. "MWC is where the technology ecosystem comes together to see what's possible. Our role is to help organizations understand how to build the human edge that turns that potential into performance."

Key Experis and ManpowerGroup Events at MWC Barcelona 2026

• Experis Meet-Up at Talent Arena
  Monday, March 2, 9:30–10:30 AM | Talent Arena PRO Area
  
  Experis opens the week with a networking meet-up at the Talent Arena for senior technology professionals, offering an introduction to Experis's capabilities in AI, automation, and advanced tech talent and laying the groundwork for the afternoon's workshop. The session targets experienced candidates and technology leaders looking to understand how AI is reshaping the skills needed to stay competitive.
  
  
• Hyperautomation Workshop at Talent Arena
  Monday, March 2, 4:45 PM | Talent Arena PRO Stage
  
  Experis, co-lead sponsor of the 2026 Talent Arena, leads an interactive session on hyperautomation and its real-world applications in talent acquisition and workforce transformation. The workshop puts agentic AI to work on one of the most pressing challenges in the sector and reflects the Talent Shortage Survey's clearest signal: upskilling and reskilling existing employees is the number one employer response to structural scarcity globally.
  
  
• "Now and Next" with Mara Stefan
  Wednesday, March 4, 3:30 PM | Talent Arena Main Stage
  
  In a session presented by Experis, Stefan will take the Talent Arena main stage to present The Human Edge: Global Future of Work Trends report, identifying 16 trends across four driving forces, Hybrid Superteams, Rapid Relearning, Changing Norms, and the Succession Crisis. The session will examine what skills the world needs, where the gaps are widest, and what leading organizations are doing to close them.

Work Intelligence Lab: Conversations from the Floor
ManpowerGroup's Work Intelligence Lab podcast will record live from MWC Barcelona with leaders from IBM, EY, and more, capturing real-time perspectives on AI's impact on the future of work from some of the most prominent voices in the global technology ecosystem.

For updates, insights, and to follow ManpowerGroup at Mobile World Congress, visit: www.manpowergroup.es/nuestras-soluciones/manpowergroup/mobile-world-congress-2026

ABOUT MANPOWERGROUP
ManpowerGroup® (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing, and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands – Manpower, Experis, and Talent Solutions – creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 70 countries and territories and has done so for more than 75 years. We are recognized consistently as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality, and Disability, and in 2025 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 16th time; all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent.

For more information, visit www.manpowergroup.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Bluesky.

 

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SOURCE ManpowerGroup

FAQ

What did ManpowerGroup announce for Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2026 (MAN)?

ManpowerGroup will present workforce intelligence and events at MWC Barcelona March 2–5, 2026. According to ManpowerGroup, sessions include an Experis meet-up, hyperautomation workshop, a main-stage Human Edge talk, and a live Work Intelligence Lab podcast with industry leaders.

What are the hardest-to-fill skills highlighted by ManpowerGroup's 2026 Talent Shortage Survey (MAN)?

AI model and application development (20%) and AI literacy (19%) top the hardest-to-fill skills globally. According to ManpowerGroup, these displace traditional engineering roles and reflect employers shifting hiring priorities toward AI capabilities.

How widespread is the talent shortage according to ManpowerGroup's data cited at MWC 2026 (MAN)?

Seventy-two percent of employers report they cannot find needed skilled talent. According to ManpowerGroup, the scarcity is not easing but evolving, prompting firms to prioritize upskilling and reskilling existing employees.

What is the focus of the Experis hyperautomation workshop at MWC Barcelona 2026 (MAN)?

The hyperautomation workshop will demonstrate agentic AI applied to talent acquisition and workforce transformation. According to ManpowerGroup, the session emphasizes practical uses for hyperautomation to support upskilling and hiring in technology teams.

When and where will Mara Stefan present The Human Edge at MWC 2026 (MAN)?

Mara Stefan will present The Human Edge on Wednesday, March 4 at 3:30 PM on the Talent Arena Main Stage. According to ManpowerGroup, the talk examines 16 workforce trends and where critical skill gaps exist.