Navigating Labor Shortages in Manufacturing and Office Roles

For years now, the manufacturing and office industries have faced critical shortages in talent across the board. Some experts estimate that around 500,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs remain unfilled. And this personnel shortage is predicted to extend well into the future–estimates point to roughly 2 million jobs being hard to fill by 2033. If you’re an employer in the manufacturing or professional sphere, how can you cope? And how can you find the job seekers who fit your position requirements? At DeLong Staffing Specialists we specialize in supplying skilled workers for these industries and we’re here to share our thoughts.

What Is The Manufacturing Labor Shortage?

A labor shortage can occur when there are not enough workers to fill available positions, but it can also result from a lack of specially skilled and talented workers needed to fill company objectives. The shortage we are currently experiencing is closely related to a large number of skilled and experienced workers simply aging out and opting for retirement. Paired with a mass exodus of older workers, the reality is that manufacturers also aren’t finding enough new hires who can replace them and meet their expert-level productivity. Add to that intensifying competition, economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions and rising costs overall and there are plenty of factors at play that make the current labor market particularly challenging. Recent tariffs have made it less profitable to take operations abroad, so many companies are onshoring production, which only adds to the climbing demand for skilled workers. As if we needed another cause for a labor shortage, it’s also true that gig work has absorbed many of the folks who might have otherwise have started out in manufacturing. If they should eventually turn to manufacturing for a more sustainable career option, it’s difficult to bring them up to speed.

What Is The Office Labor Shortage?

Labor shortages are also being seen in the office, administrative, and operations roles that are vital within many modern businesses. The reasons behind this shortage are a little more varied when compared to what is happening in the manufacturing world. An aging workforce and high retirement rates are still at play, but so are major shifts in worker expectations surrounding flexibility and the ability to maintain a work-life balance. Demand for these positions remains high, but finding and retaining qualified candidates for administrative, clerical, and professional roles continues to be a challenge. There is often a lack of applicants, true, but there is also a deeper issue at play–a mismatch between available jobs and the skills, expectations, or availability of the workforce. There are plenty of jobs, but often not enough qualified, available, or interested candidates to fill them quickly.

The Impact of Labor Shortages

Beyond the basic fact that it’s hard to find suitable employees, companies can also see other key impacts on their business. For one, when new employees need to be trained and take time to ramp up to expected skill and production levels, the natural drop in efficiency can slow down operations and make it difficult or impossible to meet manufacturing deadlines. These delays can then wear on company-customer relationships, making it difficult to retain good clients. And since demand doesn’t slow down, existing, more knowledgeable employees may have to step up and do more work that lands beyond the scope of their role. Inevitable overtime wages paired with a drop in productivity also spells reduced profitability for employers. As a company struggles just to keep up, opportunities for growth and development can fall to the wayside. All in all, labor shortages can take a serious toll on every aspect of a modern business–but there is a solution!

How To Solve For Labor Shortages

A labor shortage is an obvious issue that employers are seeing in realtime, but statistics clearly back up their observations. What can companies do to mitigate risk and get back to the properly staffed productivity they once knew? For one thing, companies need to focus on being proactive, not merely reactive. This will enable them to get ahead of hiring challenges well before they cause a strain on success. One key way to do this is to work with an employment agency, like DeLong Staffing Specialists. We fully vet candidates and ensure that they meet employer expectations and requirements prior to offering them as a potential for temp-to-hire, contract, or direct hire positions. When you work with our staffing agency, you can take the burden of hiring off of staff that are being stretched thin and focus on productivity and growth. 

Employers can also work on creating a healthy environment that prioritizes worker wellbeing and respects their contributions. And when they work with job placement agencies, employers can ensure that before they hire a candidate as a full-time, permanent employee, they can verify that the candidate fits in well with company culture and is an ideal fit for the position. “Quiet hiring” is one way that existing employees can get a chance to build their skillset and that employers can promote from within, but opting to hire a temporary employee as a permanent worker achieves a similar end.

Here’s the bottom line: companies cannot wait for the labor market to "fix itself." It takes effort to make a needed shift and pursue other means to ensure that a business has the necessary staff going forward. Job placement agencies like DeLong Staffing Specialists are the partners that modern businesses need to stay competitive in an ever-shifting market.

Conquer Labor Storages With Help From Our Staffing Agency

To address the challenges that come with manufacturing and office worker shortages, today’s employers have to take a wider approach to hiring. This means going well beyond traditional recruitment efforts. And here is where a staffing agency like DeLong Staffing Specialists can help. 

When you work with us you can trust that every candidate is custom-selected for their relevant skillset and that they will fit your requirements to a T. Logistics, legalities and paperwork are handled on our end, so all you need to worry about is helping your new worker to settle in and get to work. It’s time to offload the burden of recruiting and focus on what you do best–running your business. Technology and AI can play a role, but you’ll never beat the expertise that decades of experience bring. Find out why DeLong Staffing Specialists is one of the premier job placement agencies in Cleveland–contact us today to learn more and get started on your path to resolving your company’s labor shortages.