Beyond Filling Roles: How Are You Closing the Skills Gap?

Why filling roles won’t solve the manufacturing skills shortage

Manufacturers have long supplemented their workforces with temporary labor, but as a result of the current skills shortage, they are relying even more heavily on contract workers. While any company can find a staffing provider who can fill roles, it’s much more difficult to find a staffing partner who can fill them with the right talent and, in doing so, better position the company to weather the ongoing recruitment storm.

To solve the skills shortage for their own businesses, manufacturers must develop talent strategies that allow them to think beyond their immediate staffing challenges to meet long-term needs. To do this, they need a partner who looks at staffing not just as a series of one-time placements, but as a lifecycle of finding the right “fit” for both companies and workers over time.

Most think that the best staffing firms are those who have the widest network. This helps ensure open positions reach many candidates in order to market them to their full potential. While that’s certainly a plus, there’s more to it than simply numbers.

Here’s three more ways that staffing firms prove themselves as valuable strategic partners, not just providers of temporary labor.

The art and science of “fit”

Assessing “fit” both ways is critical to successful placements. Sure, recruiters must be able to screen talent for the skills, experience and certifications needed to fill a certain position. But a good match on paper doesn’t always equal success. Strategic staffing firms are spending an equal amount of time educating workers through job previews and more to guarantee a more informed, committed workforce.

Organically growing the talent pool

Since younger generations aren’t raising their hands to enter the light industrial workforce, some firms are finding ways to reach them, as well as un- and under-employed workers. Smart staffing firms are spearheading programs to teach them new skills and prepare them for interviews. This untapped pool is an important source of talent when the number of those who are fully trained and available are low.

Focusing on retention for serious ROI

Staffing isn’t just about talent acquisition, it’s about retention, too. The cost to replace a worker is in the thousands. By finding a great worker a great role—and checking in often to make sure both the company and worker continue to be happy—staffing firms can help create better relationships that result in workers who are productive and engaged.

Succeeding Together

For manufacturers to work through the current skills shortage, they need to find a staffing partner that works just as hard as they do. Staffing firms must go beyond filling roles to help clients stay ahead in today’s challenging business environment. Learn more about the broader trends that are driving the skills shortage in our recent blog post, How We’re Coming Together as an Industry to Find Talent and Teach Skills.