Where Can I Find Workers to Help with the Skilled Labor Shortage?
“Skilled labor companies can’t find qualified employees” is a phrase we often hear among employers in need of workers.
The skilled labor shortage has left many skilled labor employers in the manufacturing and commercial construction industries wondering, “Where can I find workers to fill my employment needs?” The old methods of recruiting top trade talent simply aren’t helping employers find qualified candidates anymore.
If you’re a skilled labor employer looking for the best place to find workers, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll look at some ways employers unsuccessfully try to find skilled workers. Then, we’ll share how to find employees using a revolutionary approach to skilled labor recruiting.
Keep reading to find out how you can overcome your skilled workforce shortage.
How Do Employers Find Employees for Trade Jobs?
It’s no secret that there’s a trade labor shortage. Manufacturing and commercial construction employers have been scrambling for years to find skilled laborers.
Below we’ve listed out the three most common methods for hiring skilled labor employees. Afterward, we’ll dive into a new approach to hiring top skilled labor talent that can get you the people you need, when you need them.
1. Buy Skilled Laborers
The first option for companies who can’t find qualified employees is to “buy” skilled workers. In other words, increasing trade job salaries to make the jobs more attractive for qualified candidates.
As an employer looking for skilled workers, you may know that salaries for skilled workers have been increasing across the board. Yet, there’s still a skilled labor shortage. Why? There are a few reasons:
- The stigma around trade jobs keeps more people from pursuing a trade career
- The general public isn’t aware of the competitive wages skilled laborers can make
- Skilled labor employers don’t regularly offer comprehensive training programs
- Employers in need of trade workers are resistant to new recruiting techniques (more on this shortly)
Increasing salaries for skilled workers may be a short-term solution that helps you attract or retain some employees. But overall, increasing salary alone isn’t a great long-term staffing solution because a higher salary isn’t always what keeps people around.
2. Make Skilled Laborers
An alternative for American businesses that can’t find workers is to “make” or train laborers. These workers could already be in your company or could be outside hires. This method aims to provide someone with the necessary training so they can fill your needed positions.
The problem with making employees is that it takes time and money.
There are time and money involved in creating a training program. Then, someone has to take the time to train the employees. When an employment gap arises, you need to fill it with a capable employee as quickly as possible to keep production and revenue high.
If increasing salary is a short-term solution, then providing training is the long-term solution.
Small business owners who often struggle in attracting qualified workers can alleviate their hiring pain by introducing in-house training programs. But when you need to find competent, skilled labor quickly, training up an employee isn’t a great option.
3. Recruit Skilled Laborers
Lastly, skilled labor employers can utilize recruiters and staffing agencies to find skilled labor.
Using a recruiter or skilled labor staffing agency has the potential to be the best way to find qualified workers. It offers a middle ground between the short-term solution of raising wages and the long-term solution of training employees.
A good skilled labor recruiter will know how to find skilled employees that fit your needs. They’ll do the legwork of finding suitable candidates, so all you need to do is hire and onboard them.
However, most skilled labor recruiting techniques fall short. Traditional recruiting agencies don’t have the resources, candidate pool, or correct vetting process to find the right talent every time. As a skilled labor employer, you need candidates that:
- Have experience
- Work hard
- Fit your needs
Outdated recruiting practices have failed to accommodate and address the trade needs of manufacturing and commercial construction employers.
At this point, you may be wondering, “So, where can I find workers? Is there a permanent solution to the skilled workforce shortage?”
Your Solution to the Skilled Labor Shortage
What’s the biggest hurdle keeping skilled labor employers from meeting their employment needs? One word: change.
There’s a huge cost to not changing when hiring the proper manufacturing or construction trade workers. Not changing your hiring practices can lead to employment gaps in your company causing:
- Decreased production
- Increased stress on current staff
- Decreased customer satisfaction
The staffing solution is simple: recruit differently.
Years ago, the nursing industry was at a similar place as skilled labor. There was a shortage of nurses, and hospitals were desperate. Do you know the solution?
The solution was travel nursing. Instead of relying on local talent, hospitals and healthcare clinics began partnering with travel nursing agencies. Nurses from all over the country were hired and brought in to fill staffing needs for short periods.
Similar to the nursing industry, travel staffing is the answer to the skilled labor shortage. Here are three benefits of working with a trade labor travel staffing agency.
1. Flexible Staffing
Travel staffing offers a quick solution to your staffing needs. If you’re suffering from workers on leave or low staff numbers, bringing in a skilled trade worker from a travel staffing agency is an excellent option. Instead of being limited to talent geographically, you can now get help finding better candidates from all over the country.
These high-quality candidates are vetted using an 8-step process to ensure that the applicant you receive suits your needs and can add value immediately.
2. Trial Period
No employer likes to spend the time and money hiring and training a full-time employee to find out they’re not a good fit. With a skilled labor travel agency, you can avoid this costly mistake. Travel staffing allows you to hire and work with your potential new team member before bringing them on full-time. With travel staffing, you can keep a new hire on for as short or as long as you need.
3. Prevent Burnout
Third, low staff numbers mean more significant workload and stress for current employees. By hiring short-term skilled workers, you can decrease over time and reduce worker burnout. Decreasing overtime and reducing burnout will allow you to build a safer, more engaged workforce.
Overcome Your Skilled Labor Shortage Today
If you’re a skilled labor employer who can’t find the right employees or fill all your employment needs, you’re not alone. Many companies can’t find qualified employees for their manufacturing facilities or commercial construction projects.
Increasing salaries may work in the short-term, and developing training programs could be an excellent long-term solution, but neither truly satisfies your needs. Trade labor recruiting is a promising way to find top trade talent, but current practices aren’t effective. If you’ve tried other recruiting methods and are still in need of skilled workers, you could benefit from trying a travel staffing approach. It will provide you with flexible staffing, a new hire trial period, and worker burnout relief.
Want to know the best place to find workers when you need them?
Skillwork is a skilled trade staffing agency that works with employers in the commercial construction and manufacturing industries. We know how to find skilled employees quickly so you can keep production high. Our travel staffing model allows us to select from a large pool of qualified candidates and then deliver them to your company regardless of your location. Because of our unique vetting process and staffing approach, we can deliver the right candidate nearly 100% of the time.
Fill out an online application today to schedule your obligation-free consult with our expert recruiters.
