Recruiting: The Only Thing Holding Manufacturers Back?

Following up last week’s post about the increasing importance of recruiting: Perhaps nowhere are recruiting efforts more crucial right now than in manufacturing.

It’s clear that manufacturing is staging a comeback. But as throngs of experienced baby boomer workers approach retirement, the sector continues to struggle to attract the next generation of talent to maintain the momentum.

A recent NPR report highlighted the gap between manufacturing’s false image as a dark, dying industry and the reality of today’s advanced, accelerating manufacturing economy.

In medical devices, electronics, transportation, renewable energy, aerospace and defense applications and other demanding markets, U.S. manufacturers are doing high-precision, engineering-driven work, requiring a lot of people with specialized skills.

And with the likes of Ford, GM and Chrysler all adding jobs, finding these qualified manufacturing professionals is only getting tougher.

But hey, having a lot of jobs to fill is a good kind of challenge. That’s why our manufacturing clients are out in front on the issue, supplying scholarships, providing a range of training, leading collaborative efforts and advocating in numerous venues.

Meanwhile, others need to pick up the slack. For example, in our recent B2B marketing research, while 71.6% of the respondents said recruiting and retaining talent is very important to the future of their business, only 40.5% said they’re doing a good job of it. (Get a copy of the full research report here.)

If you’re in that 40.5%, let me refer you back to these 3 steps to kick-start your recruiting efforts.