It's no secret that hiring in the manufacturing industry is tricky these days. Experienced Baby Boomer workers are slowly leaving the field, Gen X is approaching retirement themselves, and no one is exactly sure how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will affect manufacturing in the future. On top of these challenges, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation found that 61% of companies say entry-level candidates are the hardest to recruit.
With the existing skills gaps in manufacturing, recruiting staff are struggling to attract and retain talent through the entire hiring process. Let's go over a few tips for recruiting manufacturing talent.
Increase Workplace Diversity
A 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed that less than 30% of the manufacturing workforce is female, and only 22% is non-white. To attract Gen Z talent who value diversity, one of your strategies must be to diversify your talent pool. One way to do so is by hiding names and photos on resumes to prevent bias if you're already attracting diverse applicants.
Not only is attracting and hiring a diverse group the right thing to do, it’s also good for business. According to research from the Manufacturers Alliance, “Creating an inclusive work environment that promotes fairness and equality that in turn helps engage employees.”
Always Hiring
Just missing one key position can slow down production and cost manufacturers money. To avoid downtime between hires and to keep the business running smoothly, hiring the right employees is key. Look for candidates who have the right skills, mindsets, credentials, experience, and certifications you need to keep up with the day-to-day and avoid downtime. Also, encourage your manufacturing recruiting team to network with skilled talent in your area, even if you don’t have immediate openings to fill.
This guide to finding quality manufacturing workers offers more tips.
Use Career Sites to Tell Your Story
The general public sees manufacturing as the backbone of the country, but not always a great industry to work in. To change public opinion on what manufacturing can offer to someone's future, you can tell your company story in your job descriptions, highlight modern technologies, and offer competitive salaries and benefits.
Some ways you can encourage someone to apply include:
- Feature employee testimonials and your workplace satisfaction rating.
- Make it easy to find relevant roles that match their skills.
- Show off your company culture, values, and industry wins.
- Take pride in how you give back to your community or put safety first.
- Provide a glimpse into your benefits and wellness packages.
Do all this and more to create excitement around the open position while you inform candidates about the opportunity.
Streamline Your Hiring Process
If you have a lot of applications and they're all talented candidates, there are ways to streamline your hiring process so that you're not reading through each one and only top talent shines through. A dedicated candidate relationship management (CRM) system can sift through keywords in a resume to find candidates who are more qualified for the position.
A hiring tracking system can also help your onboarding process run more smoothly with automated workflows, alerts, and checklists.
How Employbridge Can Help with Manufacturing Recruiting
Employbridge is the leading light-industrial staffing provider in the United States. By choosing us as your staffing partner, you'll benefit from expert support, higher-quality matches, and innovative technology for smarter and faster staffing.
We can help you build a manufacturing workforce with top-quality contract, contract-to-hire, gig, and direct hire talent. Contact us to learn more about Employbridge’s staffing solutions or to schedule a consultation.