Everybody in manufacturing knows this is an industry on the upswing. In fact, that’s part of the reason why recruiting new talent has become such a challenge: even with new technologies making companies faster and more efficient, global markets still mean global demand for manufactured products.
Just how big a challenge is this? According to Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, manufacturing needs to add 3.4 million workers by 2025 to make up for the 22% of the workforce set to retire by that time. That’s a tall order, so let’s look at some things companies can begin doing, today, to start attracting and retaining talent.
1. Train and Mentor
Investing in the personal and professional growth of the people who work for you serves both missions: attracting and retaining talent alike.
First up is attracting talent. It’s not exactly a secret that many millennials avoid manufacturing and other fields they see as not sophisticated or exciting enough. This is partially a communication problem. Companies that implement and advertise robust in-house training and mentorship opportunities satisfy the younger generations’ desire for jobs that offer growth and new challenges over time. According to Gallup, 59% of millennials prioritize applying to jobs that offer chances to grow and learn as professionals and individuals.
Second is retaining talent. Employees who are regularly exposed to new processes and encouraged to develop new skills and interests are the ones who will stick around for the long haul, help you maintain skill continuity and emerge as the best candidates for promoting from within.
2. Engage With Schools
How does your company engage in recruiting? The younger people you’re trying to reach live online much of the time, but it can still be difficult to reach these generations through job listings. And few job descriptions will have the same impact as, or communicate more effectively about why manufacturing is so exciting right now better than, a face-to-face conversation.
If you want to foster interest in this field and discover bright young future-professionals who might’ve made the mistake of dismissing a potential career in manufacturing, don’t miss career fairs and other opportunities to establish a presence in high schools, community colleges and universities. This is one of the best ways to get your company positioned at the front of the talent pipeline.
Encouraging this kind of direct outreach is part of the reason why the UK government declared 2018 the “Year of Engineering.” It created buzz and new opportunities for companies to connect with pools of younger talent.
3. Offer Competitive Benefits
In an industry with a labor market as competitive as this one, you can’t afford to set your compensation and benefits packages in a vacuum. Attracting manufacturing candidates means being competitive with your wages and salaries and placing your company among those offering 21st-century benefits like paid sick leave, parental leave, retirement accounts and generous vacation time.
You can use something like the Salary.com compensation analyst to find out if your wages and salaries are competitive in the market today. Everything else is squarely up to you, although surveys tend to indicate that employees consider flexible schedules, more paid time off, on-site amenities and profit-sharing plans some of the most desirable benefits to look for in a new job.
4. Court Underrepresented Demographics and Communities
There are still lots of industries today which do not accurately represent the communities they serve when it comes to diversity in the workplace. More engineering and leadership jobs in manufacturing are held by men than women — and returning veterans, minorities and reassimilated former inmates often find themselves underrepresented in the workplace.
The “Heroes MAKE America” program is just one example of an initiative that reaches out to, trains and connects employers with underrepresented communities — returning veterans, in this case. There are other groups invested in creating opportunities for women in STEM fields as well as those campaigning to end the stigma against hiring former felons and working to connect employers with individuals who’ve paid their debt to society.
The point is, there are advocacy and professional development groups everywhere these days that companies can engage and build relationships with to diversify their pool of applicants, reach underserved communities and meet their own demands for skilled and semi-skilled workers.
5. Pay for Employees’ Education
The Apprentice School at Newport News is one of the more famous examples of companies paying for their employees’ education. Huntington Ingalls owns the school, pays men and women to study shipbuilding hands-on, in actual drydocks, and then offers each of them a full-time job once they graduate.
Employers who open the door to higher education, perhaps through a tuition reimbursement program or by paying for employees to take courses, ensure their organization is able to acquire application-specific skill sets, individuals who are familiar with the most recent industry developments and highly plugged-in workers who are prepared for whatever the future holds.
6. Be Clear About Job Descriptions and Value Propositions
Lots of what we’ve talked about here involve communicating effectively with the public about opportunities in manufacturing. As a final reminder on that subject, remember to include everything in your job postings that an applicant would want to know: details about your daily operations and methodology, the specialized equipment and technologies involved and the precise nature of the applicant’s future responsibilities.
Once you’ve made it clear what kind of job applicant you’re looking for, it’s time for your company’s own value proposition. Why do you stand out as an employer and a thought leader in your industry? What should candidates know about your culture and your values, your involvement in the community, your work ethic or your commitment to ethics and sustainability? What unique qualities do you bring to the table, and how are you working each day to reach more lives or improve what you do?
Work to answer these questions, and keep these other suggestions in mind, as you seek out talent for your manufacturing company.