Spring 2016 issue of Horizons

MANUFACTURING & DISTRIBUTION

To Find Skilled Labor, Look Ahead by Keith Jacob, President & CEO, St. Louis Staffing

St. Louis Staffing is a staffing agency that focuses on placing skilled labor and industrial positions in the St. Louis area. Keith Jacob was invited by RubinBrown to provide his thoughts on talent trends in the manufacturing and distribution industries.

A s unemployment numbers continue to decrease, and it becomes more difficult to find skilled labor, it’s easy to scratch our heads, wondering where it all went wrong. We couldn’t have foreseen the recession, but we’ve known for twenty years that the baby boomers were going to retire. We’ve been well aware, too, that technology was advancing, leading to greater automation and complexity of manufacturing processes. We’ve seen companies struggling to survive, focus on reducing costs, which often means reducing wages or relocating plants overseas. The result is fewer workers, lower skill levels and an overall decrease in the manufacturing

industry’s attractiveness to a new generation of workers. The good news is that there is a solution, anchored in the ability to look ahead and form a strategy. Finding skilled labor, involves a comprehensive approach that incorporates a sound hiring process, marketing, training and leadership. The Hiring Process The hiring process starts with a commitment to making hiring an on-going priority, rather than a surge of activity when there is a need. Members of your organization need to be focused on it continuously, as there is no end in sight to the need for skilled labor.

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