6 Strategies to Secure Top Talent in the Manufacturing Industry

Hiring workers for the manufacturing industry has become incredibly challenging in recent years. According to a recent Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute report, manufacturing employers will face a shortfall of?2.1 million unfilled jobs?by 2030. There is a dire shortage of individuals with adept skills to keep the manufacturers today ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow. According to one estimate, for every college graduate majoring in a manufacturing-related field, eight manufacturing employees retire.

Recruiters have been struggling to attract, hire, and retain talent for a wide range of roles, be it technicians, operators, assemblers, plant managers or other key positions. Some of the reasons why are- ?

• Disruptive technology is transforming the talent profile, with a need for more technologically inclined individuals.
• A higher number of employees are retiring from the industry with no young talent to take their place.
• The manufacturing industry is not being considered as a top choice for youngsters despite the challenge of working with the latest STEM technology.

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In a 2022 Conexiom survey,?73% of Gen Zers?said they have not considered a career in manufacturing, with lack of interest being the most popular reason.

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6 Tips to Hire the Best Manufacturing Talent

As a recruiter in manufacturing, whether you are dealing with 10 requisitions or 100 requisitions, you must know how to move candidates through the pipeline effectively and efficiently. Here are some tips that can help you in your recruitment quest.

1. Up your branding game

You need to come up with a game plan that would make you stand out from the rest of your competitors. To achieve this, you must start focusing on capturing the interest of top candidates. Remember that there is already a noticeably short list of candidates willing to choose manufacturing jobs over the others. To attract this dwindling number of candidates, you must make sure that you have a strong branding game.

Applicants are keen on knowing your company’s mission and values and most importantly would like to see a consistent, authentic brand identity across every channel.

• Do not try to go overboard with your marketing campaigns and spend over your budget like the corporates do. Corporates have a budget to go all the way, but you don’t have to. Instead, you can leverage the work they’ve laid out and take the brand one step further to communicate your employer brand.
• Be clear about what sets your brand apart from the big guns. Share stories and testimonials from your employees. Highlight your workplace values and culture and demonstrate how it can be a desirable path for them.
• Demonstrate how safe your workplace is for them to work in. Employees want to know that the company is serious about their wellbeing and safety.
• Create a website that can speak volumes about your brand’s values and reputation because first impressions matter. ?

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2. Tap into the passive pool of candidates

A recent Job seeker nation report revealed that 63% of job seekers are satisfied with their current jobs, yet 48% were looking for new roles. What does this mean? It means that candidates who aren’t even actively seeking jobs may be interested in your job openings. But how do you find out who they are and how should you connect with them?

• Social media is your best friend-

Put a strong word out about your workplace culture, job openings and other relevant information about your brand through social media platforms in the form of blog posts, static posts, employee activities, infrastructure of your workplace etc. This will help connect with the passive candidates outside of local talent pools.

• Recruitment Videos work

More than static reading posts, people relate to videos. They are an effective way to differentiate yourselves from your competitors. A 2023 Wizowl survey revealed that around 91% of people want to see more online videos from brands. For manufacturing companies this should come as a big plus. Through videos you can highlight your infrastructure, equipment, culture, cleanliness etc. It helps candidates relate better with your brand.

• Look to your past.

Candidates who would have applied in the past are a reliable source to find your next best. While they weren’t hired the first time around, they were still those individuals with a valuable set of skills and qualities with a potential to learn and grow.

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3. Capitalize on new talent in the market

The key is to look at the opportunity to recruit, hire and train newly available talent in the market, that are still seeking jobs and are unemployed to realize higher recruiting success.

• Train new candidates

Guide new candidates through on-the-job education. Invest in onboarding, training, and other work programs.

• Reassure them of your job quality

Let them know about the increased job stability and how you’ll be training them to make them better in the field. Host open houses to pitch your business to prospective hires.

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4. Simplify and optimize the recruitment process

?Given the effort it takes to identify and attract manufacturing candidates, it’s critical not to lose them because of a lacklustre recruitment process. Manufacturers must run a well-organized and efficient recruitment process to attract candidates and keep them moving through hiring and onboarding.?

According to Talent Board research, the?number one reason candidates drop out?of the recruiting process is that they feel their time was disrespected.?So, you need to simplify the recruiting process.

Assess the candidate journey

Understand what the candidate prefers when they prefer to engage with your company brand. You must make sure that the candidate gets to the part where they do apply for the position when they come across your brand. Right from when they come across an open position in your organization and reading the job description to hitting apply, you must ensure that everything is exactly right and is appealing to the candidate. How do you achieve this? By making small, but impactful changes

• Create clear job descriptions that depict the position accurately. Also provide other relevant information that a candidate wants to see like compensation, benefits, career opportunities/the ability to grow, and specific skills employees will gain in the role.
• Simplify the recruitment process by using AI and machine learning to automate tasks such as reviewing applications, candidate matching, screening and help the candidate’s application move along smoothly.
• Practice mobile friendly recruiting. It's the digital age where accessibility is key. And its the same when applying for jobs as most candidates prefer not to waste time pulling up their personal laptops and rather apply through mobile devices.
• Use the career site as a medium to build positive perceptions among candidates. Feature employee testimonials, highlight career development and other benefits.

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5. Highlight opportunities of career advancement

This point is especially important in the manufacturing industry because of the lack of applicants and young aspirants in the fields. In a recent American Staffing Association report,?80% of surveyed employees?said an employer’s professional development and training offerings were crucial factors when considering a new position.

Take advantage of the digital transformation and adaption of modern technology and educate candidates about the many opportunities available for career advancement. Offer them

• On the job training
• Mentorship opportunities
• L&D courses

Career growth is extremely important for Gen Z. In a Handshake survey about 67% of Gen Z respondents ranked “ability to advance my career” as the most critical factor they seek in a job role. Manufacturing companies can highlight opportunities to pursue licensing and certifications that impart transferable skills.

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6. Consider offering benefits beyond the role

It’s a competitive environment out there. The race to find the best talent exists in every industry but more so in the manufacturing industry due to the dire need of talent. While compensation is the first and foremost critical factor, inflation has forced employers to offer a lot more than just compensation to keep candidates interested. Some of the things manufacturing industries could focus on are-

• Benefits

While you can’t offer higher than average wage, you can consider offering benefits in other forms like healthcare benefits, paid time off, and retirement planning.

• Work culture and environment

A smaller labour pool means more choices for workers who are seeking greater health and well-being in their experience at work. This includes increased levels of happiness, satisfaction, purpose, and manageable stress.

• Highlight your commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging

Glassdoor research found that?76% of job seekers?consider a diverse workforce a key factor when evaluating companies, and 32% would not apply to a company lacking diversity. Candidates are seeking to working in a more diverse environment and companies offering a more diverse culture are viewed as much more attractive for candidates.

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Elevate Your Recruiting Game to Unmatched Levels

Given the pace of digital transformation, the shortage of candidates and the need to find qualified talent, manufacturing recruitment is challenging as ever. To attract a diverse mix of candidates, from daily labours and machinists to tech-savvy analytics professionals and administration and management staff, manufacturing organizations must turn to a data-driven recruitment marketing strategy that can help overcome hiring challenges and meet ambitious recruiting goals.?

Enhanced employer branding solutions and tools are critical not only to monitor the ROI on your recruitment process but to also attract a higher quality and quantity of talent.?If you are a manufacturing industry struggling to acquire a great workforce, get a jump on these useful strategies and refresh your hiring process today.

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