Finding talented employees easier said than done

Industrial Distribution staff -- Industrial Distribution, 9/5/2007

Each year, INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION'S Annual Survey of Distributor Operations finds growing concern about the lack of younger and talented employees entering the general manufacturing fields.

In the latest survey (our 61st), 52 percent of respondents said they can't find enough qualified candidates for job openings; 66 percent stated that finding technically trained employees was a particular concern.

In the September issue of INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION, managing editor Victoria Fraza Kickham's article ("Filling the Ranks") looks at what a number of companies and associations are doing to attract these talented employees. DMO talked to Ms. Kickham about the feature as well as the problem of the aging talent pool in manufacturing and distribution.

Q) For a while now, manufacturing and distribution professionals have expressed concerns about finding enough talented employees and how the talent pool is drying up.  One item that jumps out from your article is that only 25 percent of companies are prepared to deal with what is expected to be a record number of aging workers who will retire in the next few years. What can companies, or associations, do about this problem?

A) First and foremost, I think distributors and manufacturers should think about becoming more flexible and creative in filling jobs. Applied Industrial Technologies' Bill Purser, who has been very vocal about the employment challenge facing the industry, has said that distribution companies are going to have to adapt to this new workforce dynamic by changing the way they think about work. That may mean offering more flexible schedules or reduced hours to retired employees who want to keep working. It could mean using retired workers as mentors for younger employees.

The baby boomer generation is getting ready to retire, but they're in good health and aren't necessarily ready to leave their careers behind. Companies can find ways to use that to their advantage.

Q) What have some companies and associations been pointing to as their selling points in order to attract younger employees into the industrial workforce?

A) One of the most interesting things I've seen involves the Industrial Careers Pathway, the workforce development initiative created by the Power Transmission Distributors Assn. The ICP is collecting all kinds of information from distributors, manufacturers and the media highlighting some of the really interesting things that distributors and manufacturers do on a daily basis.

On their Web site and in their newsletters they point to some of the high-profile customers and industries many distributors serve and to the high-tech nature of the business in general. Their goal is to get this information out to as many teachers, students and potential employees as possible.

The ICP's project director, Craig McAtee, said it best when I interviewed him earlier this year. He emphasized the need for the industry to promote itself: "Get those manufacturing operations to open their doors—in a high-tech environment, with their robots and automation—to show young people that this is not their father's and mother's manufacturing anymore. Industrial distributors can do the same thing."

Q) Are manufacturing executives and distributors worried that the jobs they can offer—while rewarding and well-paying—just aren't viewed as sexy or trendy enough to attract younger workers, at least on a career basis?

A) That's certainly the greatest complaint I hear when interviewing distributors—that the industry just isn't sexy enough to attract young people. That's why outreach and education have become so important.

In addition to the ICP, which is supported by more than 20 industry associations, individual companies and trade groups are developing education and awareness campaigns to reach out to high school and college students. Many companies are forming internship programs with local schools and hosting open houses for teachers, students and parents. In the end, I think it all comes down to awareness. If young people don't know what the industry has to offer, they're going to look elsewhere when it comes time for a job.

To read the September cover story on “Filling the ranks,” click here.