Manufacturing Sector: Currently a Top Staffing Opportunity in U.S.

According to the American Staffing Association, industrial manufacturing staffing from staffing agencies has the top employee percentage in the United States, more than any other industry.

This means that many workers looking to work for a manufacturing company, are probably searching for the nearest comparable staffing agency. This also means that a manufacturing company looking for skilled and ready workers would be ignoring immeasurable opportunities if they bypass a staffing agency for their employees. In a nutshell, manufacturing staffing is a major strength for HR staffing firms throughout the United States.

This is the time where more manufacturing workers are needed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers have created 37,000 new manufacturing jobs in July of this year, making manufacturing jobs the strongest its been in 23 years.

Jobs in the US have been growing steadily in general, but manufacturing jobs have been seeing a major boom, particularly during the Trump administration. Manufacturing jobs are also known to pay more than many other industries, as well as offer better benefits. Skilled trades — such as forklift operators, CDL drivers, etc. — are the most in-demand when it comes to industrial jobs.

With this being the case, companies need a plan. And the number one plan of any manufacturing company should be connecting with an experienced HR staffing agency who can provide the staffing that’s necessary to keep their business afloat.

Manufacturing Staffing Has Changed With the Times

According to 2016 research from Harvard economist Lawrence Katz and Princeton economist Alan Krueger, job growth in America is now mainly due to “alternative work arrangements – defined as temporary help agency workers, on-call workers, contract workers, and independent contractors or freelancers.”

Large companies such as Nissan and General Motors, regularly use and rely on temp workers. After the recession, many companies have reportedly been scaling back from hiring permanent workers, and prefer to test the waters with temporary employees.

The benefit of this conservative approach is finding good talent before shelling out unnecessary dollars. (The average onboarding cost for a new employee averages out to $400 — now calculate that times how many manufacturing workers a plant may need, and you’ll see how quickly that adds up.)

On top of that, according to a study by the SHRM Foundation, within the first four months of employment, 50 percent of hourly workers leave. So onboarding costs can quickly end up down the drain.

What makes temp agencies attractive for manufacturing staffing is the fact that companies have more time to evaluate workers in real-time before taking the leap to hire. This alone prevents costly mistakes.

Another benefit, that falls in the financial scope, is money saved from marketing. Because a temp agency already has able candidates, there’s no need for manufacturing companies to take their eyes off production and other important elements of their company, and focus it on marketing to find workers.

Overall, the job world and economy are moving more and more towards dependence upon temp workers, and for good reasons. If you’re a manufacturing company, there’s nothing to lose by following this trend of the future.