Español Contact (713) 682-3651
Talk to an Expert

How to Overcome Specialized Staffing Issues in Manufacturing

Labor shortages and the ongoing skills gap continue to plague hiring.

Today, ensuring you have the right staff is more difficult than ever, especially for those requiring specialized staffing. A shortage of entry-level workers, difficulty filling skilled roles, and digital transformation are all significant contributors.

Beyond impacting production, the failure to fill these roles can have pervasive impacts resulting in limited growth for manufacturing companies. Staffing and skills shortages prevent employers from implementing new technologies, meeting customer demands (for goods and services), and taking on new product initiatives and market opportunities.

Finding qualified staff can be challenging when you need employees with the specific knowledge necessary to perform a job. Companies may find that the applications they receive don’t meet their minimum requirements, making the process cumbersome for everyone involved.

How can you improve the hiring process while drawing in more qualified candidates? The power lies in taking a more active approach to recruitment. Before we dive into solutions, though, we’ll need to examine current challenges and why they pose an issue.

White Paper Download: Examining the Benefits of Contingent, Retainer, and Contract Staffing Models

Current Challenges

Boomer Retirement

By now, most in the reliability and maintenance industry understand the implications of the looming retirement of baby boomers. These employees have been there through the industry changes over the last several decades, which has given them a unique wealth of knowledge to pass along to newer employees. As these workers leave, however, the opportunity to learn from their abundant experience diminishes, making it even more important for companies to invest in alternative methods of education to ensure their workforce is constantly improving.

Lack of Training

Just as important as knowledge gained from mentors, training and continuing education are essential for workers in industries that are undergoing rapid evolution, such as maintenance and reliability. As more new workers enter the workforce, training may have to take the place where mentors once passed along knowledge. In addition, a blue collar labor shortage has been plaguing many companies in the industrial and manufacturing field, making it harder to find the talent they so desperately need.

Outdated Recruitment Process

Technology has revolutionized the way we do many things, and job hunting is no exception. Today, it’s no longer enough to simply post your job openings on a job site. To stay ahead of the game, companies must take an active approach to filling positions. This is especially important in fields where competition is fierce, such as reliability. Even with updated procedures, many companies find they still lose out on their top candidates. Sometimes, this is due to a long and drawn-out hiring process, which just won’t do for today’s candidates. Wait too long, and your favorites could lose interest.

Lack of Time

Even if you want to take a more proactive approach to hiring, you may not have the bandwidth to do so. Search efforts for specialized staff can be complicated and unfortunately for many companies, lack of time is a major issue. Busy HR departments may be forced to deprioritize recruitment efforts when more immediate concerns arise. Add to this the expenses that can accompany dedicated recruitment efforts, especially when companies go it alone. However, leaving important positions unfilled can be even more costly.

How to Overcome Recruiting and Staffing Pitfalls

You can take a few approaches: improve your internal hiring process, hire an external staffing and recruiting service to gain access to a broader pool of candidates, or use a hybrid approach.

Improve Your Hiring Process, From Start to Finish

Want to streamline your hiring process for better results? The following steps can help you get there.

  • Perform an audit: Look closely at your current operations to determine your organization's needs.
  • Make a plan: Once you have outlined your needs, it’s time to determine how you can get there (for example, to fill specific positions, will you need to refine job qualifications?)
  • Assess your procedures: Make sure your interview/hiring procedures are comprehensive. Enlist a dedicated person to be there for candidates to ensure they don’t lose interest.
  • Establish support: The process shouldn’t end with a job offer. After hiring, ensure your team has the proper support from management to be successful in their roles.
  • Invest in your workforce: Prioritize training and continuing professional education to maintain a robust and reliable workforce.

Enlist the Help of a Recruiting or Staffing Service

Want to improve your hiring process but don’t have time to manage it yourself? When working with a professional recruiting or staffing service, you’ll gain access to a broader pool of candidates and get the support you need to succeed. Recruiting or staffing services, such as those provided by Allied Reliability, offer many advantages to companies, which include:

Active Recruitment

Instead of waiting for the right candidates to appear, companies who offer staffing and recruiting services seek out qualified workers so you can find exactly who you need.

More Qualified Candidates

With a database of 65,000+ maintenance and reliability candidates, we can connect you with workers who have the skills you desire.

Better Resources

Recruiting services have resources that individual companies may not, which can be used to connect candidates with employers.

Cultivating Success in the Future

Your recruitment and staffing efforts should be a full-time priority to be successful. Having a dedicated person for the task is ideal. Remember that the hiring manager and HR team must be on the same page to ensure no disconnect. Communication and flexibility are essential, especially regarding expectations about candidates and the current market.

Most importantly, take the time to engage your current workforce actively. Nothing spreads the word about a great place to work better than a happy team.

Are you considering working with a professional staffing service? With a network of 60,000 employees, along with their expertise in the maintenance and reliability field, Allied Reliability can connect you with the qualified workers you need.

Explore our Recruiting & Staffing Services

Want to take the next step in building your qualified workforce?

We’re offering companies a FREE market analysis for any position you need to fill. You’ll get a review of compensation ranges, typical job descriptions, and trends for both local and national markets.

Request your free analysis