As head of a company that helps people in over 80 countries and territories find employment, Jonas Prising is a recognized expert on the labor market and the world of work trends. He's also been a big part of the ongoing success realized by ManpowerGroup, one of the largest staffing firms in the world.
Born in Sweden, Prising joined the company in 1999. It didn't take long for him to start climbing his way up the corporate ladder, holding numerous key executive roles. This includes serving as ManpowerGroup’s president from 2012 to 2014, leading the company’s operations in the Americas and Southern Europe, and overseeing the global Right Management and ManpowerGroup Solutions businesses. Then in May 2014 he was named Chief Executive Officer, followed by being elected chairman in December 2015. In these roles, he currently leads all aspects of ManpowerGroup’s $21 billion business.
Known for his agility as an executive, Prising has helped steer the company through some pretty rough waters. For example, in March 2020, ManpowerGroup experienced an unprecedented crisis in its 75-year history when it lost 35% of its business in just three weeks. But under Prising's leadership, the company was able to handle the situation gracefully by pivoting to a remote model in just a few weeks.
Before joining ManpowerGroup nearly 24 years ago, Prising worked for Electrolux, a Swedish multinational. During his 10-year tenure with Electrolux, he held various international positions, including head of Global Sales and Marketing for one of its business-to-business divisions.
Furthermore, Prising's passion for preparing the workforce of tomorrow extends beyond his ManpowerGroup duties. In addition to his CEO and chairman duties, he is actively engaged in the World Economic Forum, including as a Steward of the Future of Education, Gender, and Work Global System. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide; serves as a current board member of Junior Achievement (JA) USA; and serves as co-chair of Innovation in Milwaukee: an organization focused on supporting entrepreneurial leadership.
Prising, who speaks five languages, is also a life-long learner. He holds an MBA (equivalent) from the Stockholm School of Economics and has participated in executive programs at Harvard, INSEAD, Stanford, and Yale. Notably, his expertise makes him a much sought-after speaker at global conferences, summits, and media outlets.