According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the manufacturing industry unemployment rate in August 2024 was 3.4%. Low employment meant a tight labor market and increased difficulty in hiring.
Finding the right people to quickly fill your manufacturing or light industrial roles can be challenging. The increasing skills shortage further compounds these issues.
Why Finding the Right People Can Be Challenging
You could be struggling to find the right manufacturing or light industrial employees for diverse reasons:
- Perhaps your hiring process does not identify top talent.
- You could be searching on the wrong platforms.
- Your pay and benefits might not stand out.
- Perhaps you are not searching for passive candidates.
- Your best employees could be advancing and you must fill their roles.
The best places to find qualified candidates depend on the size of your company, the position, the
timeline to fill it, and related issues. The following methods can help find the right manufacturing or light industrial employees to reduce your time-to-hire rates and grow your business.
Prioritize Internal Hires
Use your workforce database to determine which employees have the knowledge, transferrable skills,
and experience to take on a different role. These evaluations are especially important for hard-to-fill
roles requiring specialized skills. Offering training and development opportunities to fill niche roles
requires less time and money than hiring and onboarding new employees with these skills.
Ensure you have a succession plan to fill the role being vacated. Or, consider hiring a temporary or
temporary-to-hire worker until you find a permanent replacement.
Request Employee Referrals
According to a 2022 report by Aptitude Research, 84% of companies believe employee referrals are the
most cost-effective way to find talent. Therefore, you should ask your manufacturing or light industrial
employees to refer members of their network:
- Employees can influence who their teammates and coworkers are.
- Team members are incentivized to help reach hiring goals.
- Employees can refer connections who fit the culture and job qualifications.
- HR can use online tools and technologies to track referrals, provide status updates, and reward
employees for successful hires. - Managers can speed up the hiring, onboarding, and training processes.
- Referrals typically remain long-term because they already know someone within the
organization. - Companies increase diversity and save time and money finding the right people to help reach
business goals.
Use Social Media
A 2022 survey by CareerArc and Harris Poll on the use of social media in job searches discovered:
- 68% of active job seekers and 54% of passive job seekers used social media to research
employers. - 65% of active job seekers and 50% of passive job seekers discovered job opportunities on social
media. - 63% of active job seekers and 38% of passive job seekers applied for jobs found on social media.
Using social media to find the right manufacturing or light industrial employees provides diverse
benefits:
- Build a strong online presence to get your job openings seen by the right people.
- Show job seekers what working at your company is like.
- Provide social proof that your company takes care of its employees.
- Post targeted job ads to your business pages to attract qualified candidates.
- Encourage your followers to share your job openings with their networks.
LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook are the most popular social networks for finding manufacturing and
light industrial employees. However, you might find qualified candidates on Twitter and Instagram as
well. Include relevant hashtags such as #manufacturing or #engineering to draw attention to your job
postings.
Post on Niche Job Boards
Share your manufacturing or light industrial company’s job postings on niche job boards such as
ManufacturingJobs.com, ManufacturingWorkers.com, and iHireManufacturing.com. Ensure you have
updated, engaging job descriptions to increase the number of highly qualified applicants:
- Share the salary range and benefits.
- Include the job duties, responsibilities, tools, and processes.
- Mention the top five requirements and a few nonessential preferences.
- Be open about the challenges and opportunities.
Many specialized job boards send recommended job openings to newsletter subscribers. These activities help increase your reach, including passive candidates.
Partner with a Specialized Staffing Agency
Work with a staffing agency that specializes in the manufacturing and light industrial sectors to find the right people fast:
Access workers who can start immediately
A manufacturing and light industrial staffing agency has a vast network of skilled, experienced
candidates looking for new job opportunities. The agency can quickly provide vetted candidates who fit
your hiring needs.
You meet with a few selected candidates and negotiate a job offer. The recruiter helps with onboarding
and regularly follows up. You can request a replacement at no charge to ensure your complete
satisfaction.
Develop a flexible staffing model
A staffing agency specializing in the manufacturing and light industrial sectors can quickly and cost-
effectively provide you with the right people:
- Supplementing your workforce with temporary workers lets you scale according to business
needs. - Temporary workers can quickly start and begin producing.
- Productivity and profitability increase.
- Pay for only the services used.
Find workers with the right skills
Manufacturing and light industrial recruiters understand the skills and experience required to fill your
job openings. They also stay current on the job market, candidate expectations, and other relevant
details that impact hiring. As a result, these recruiters can quickly place qualified workers to help reach
your business goals.
Reduce administrative tasks
A manufacturing and light industrial staffing agency employs temporary and temp-to-hire workers.
Therefore, the agency is responsible for payroll, benefits administration, taxes, worker’s compensation, unemployment claims, and other administrative issues. As a result, you can fill your hiring needs while focusing on revenue-generating activities.
Would You Like Help Finding the Right Manufacturing and Light Industrial Employees?
The Ōnin Group can provide you with temporary and temp-to-hire workers to help fill your
manufacturing or light industrial company’s hiring needs. We are the go-to staffing firm to elevate the
hiring experience.
We use personalized guidance, top tools, and our award-winning culture to match motivated
manufacturing and light industrial job seekers with employers of choice. We also collaborate with clients and candidates to build creative, informed solutions for the most complex manufacturing and light industrial workforce challenges.
Reach out to The Ōnin Group to discuss your manufacturing and light industrial hiring needs today.
Sources
15 Tips for How to Find Good Employees (and Hire Them) • Toggl Hire
How to Find Employees: 8 Tactics in Finding the Right One (huntclub.com)
9 Best Manufacturing Job Boards for Finding Top Talent (teamengine.io)
Social Media for Manufacturers: 8 Simple Steps to Get Started – Altitude Marketing
Solving the Sourcing Challenge: Demystifying Referrals to Improve Hiring Outcomes – Aptitude Research
