Manufacturers, like most other employers, are facing critical hiring shortages across the country. Yesterday’s recruitment tactics are no longer sufficient for moving the needle in hiring so it’s time to change things up and rethink your strategy.
Part of the problem is that manufacturing is not perceived as a desirable career path. Today’s workforce still has a negative perception of these jobs. Automation is replacing some workers and many people just don’t want to get their hands dirty in these types of work environments.
Manufacturing Workers are Aging Out
Where will the next generation of manufacturing workers come from? A recent study by Deloitte reports that 2.7 million manufacturing/industrial workers are expected to retire in the next 10 years.
On top of that, another report shows that manufacturing work ranked last in career choices in workers aged 19-33! That’s a huge problem for manufacturing recruiters. Especially when you consider that hundreds of thousands of jobs are projected to be created in the next few years.
I read somewhere that it currently takes 70-75 days on average to find and recruit skilled manufacturing workers. Throw in a global pandemic and you can actually feel the challenge employers face.
Rethinking Manufacturing Recruitment
Here’s what I think manufacturers need to do to begin to fix these problems;
- Change the perception of manufacturing among job seekers
- Get creative in sourcing and talent attraction
- Leverage the latest and great recruitment technologies
Use Employer Branding to Change the Perception
Changing the perception begins with establishing an employer brand built around the purpose of the products you produce.
Why does your company exist? What value do your products offer? Answering these important questions will help you explain the value of a job at your company.
For example if you are a defense manufacturer you can highlight how a job at your firm helps keep our country safe. Or if you are a food manufacturer you can tout how you help keep us fed. Playing to job seekers basic emotions will help you communicate your EVP (employer value proposition) in an effort to appeal to them.
Rinse and Repeat Your Employer Brand
Once you’ve established the right employer brand messaging, take that message out into the communities you recruit in. Build relationships with local high schools and colleges. Educate them on a career in your industry.
You’ll have to think long term as well. It will not happen overnight. Consider forming an apprenticeship program to help take students and give them the training they need to become a full time employee one day.
You’ve got to establish a pipeline of talent for the future. And keep that pipeline going day after day.
Use Your Employees to Tell the Story
Companies must also leverage their employees in helping shape perception of working for you in a manufacturing job. Highlight their stories, show them in action through video and let them speak about why they enjoy the job. Today’s generation appreciates authenticity, especially delivered in a video format.
Embrace social media as well. You should be on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. These channels will help you create visually appealing content which will make your company an attractive place to work.
Sourcing Manufacturing Talent
Employers should also step up their direct sourcing efforts if they want to hire faster. This means everything from boolean searches online to virtual/in-person job fairs to billboards located near your competition.
Souring platforms like Hiretual and Seekout are good places to start actively searching for talent. One of my favorite (and free) sourcing tools is called Recruitem. It’s a boolean search tool that helps you find talent by keywords across the internet, mainly using Google to do it.
There are a handful of manufacturing job boards and communities you can also tap for talent.
- JobsinManufacturing.com – LINK
- ManufacturingJobs.com – LINK
- WomenIn Manufacturing – LINK
- Association For Manufacturing Excellence – LINK
Install New Recruitment Technology
Lastly, manufacturers need to upgrade their existing recruiting technology stacks to the most modern ones possible. Your outdated ATS needs to be replaced with something fast and ‘apply’ friendly.
Candidates need to be able to apply in just a few minutes, they should be able to opt in via text message,and be able to self schedule interviews (as long as they meet basic qualifications).
Implementing these ideas and strategies is no small task and will take time, so employers will need to show patience. But if you expect to succeed in the long term to win the manufacturing war for talent, they are mandatory changes that need to be put in place today.
