M&D Mini Series: Talent Acquisition Remains a Priority…and a Challenge

How do manufacturers attract skilled workers? It’s a question hiring managers throughout the industry are still trying to answer. Respondents selected “lack of qualified workers” as the top barrier to growth in 2018.

The search for skilled workers who know how to operate, manage and maintain smart technologies starts at the top. Talent acquisition must be a strategic priority for organizations. That means ensuring human resource departments are adequately staffed to manage companies’ hiring needs. Many organizations also say they are not taking proactive approaches to developing skilled workers, another indication that talent acquisition lacks resources. Most organizations rely on offsite recruiters to find employees rather than developing in-house talent or recruiting at the high school level.

Surprisingly, only 3 percent of respondents recruit employees at the high school level. This indicates manufacturers are missing a major opportunity to educate the next generation of workers about modern manufacturing. “It’s an opportunity for them to lay the foundation, show people that manufacturing is high tech and an exciting career opportunity,” says Jerry Murphy. “Reaching out to those schools early and trying to get the next generation interested in manufacturing is something I think all manufacturers need to do to fill those positions.”

Download our 2018 M&D Report to learn more about how to overcome these challenges and how competitors are finding and building an impressive team.