Resolving skills gaps in your industrial workforce or managing talent shortages in hard-to-fill technical roles is daunting, but it’s a challenge faced by companies across all industries.
According to a study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, the U.S. manufacturing sector alone could need nearly 3.8 million new employees between 2024 and 2033. And if manufacturers are unable to resolve the skill gaps currently plaguing the industry, nearly 1.9 million of those open positions could remain unfilled.
Whether you’re contending with a seasonal increase in demand, a network-wide surge to make recall repairs, a new facility that needs trained staff, or you need the right person to replace a seasoned veteran, every production-based organization deals with situations where they need to quickly bring in people to get the job done.
But if an organization adds technical workers without proper vetting, it can do more harm than good. Partnering with an organization specialized in industrial staffing and training solutions can make all the difference. These partners provide both immediate access to a skilled workforce and strategic, long-term solutions to close skill gaps.
The Growing Technical Skills Shortage
The shortage of skilled technicians, operators, and engineers is affecting industries globally, from oil and gas to renewable energy and advanced manufacturing. According to another study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, around 77% of manufacturers have reported difficulty filling open positions due to a lack of qualified candidates. This is compounded by rapid technological advancements, which are increasing the complexity of industrial jobs and requiring new skill sets.
This shortage has two major effects:
- Operational delays and downtime due to understaffing or lack of skilled workers.
- Increased labor costs as companies compete for a smaller pool of highly trained workers.
The challenge is clear: companies need to fill these roles quickly, while ensuring that their workforce has the necessary training and certifications to keep up with evolving industry standards. The need for skilled professionals has become a universal pain point.
The Benefits of an Industrial Talent Solutions Partner
This is where an industrial talent solutions partner comes into play. The growing gap in technical expertise has made it increasingly difficult to find professionals with the right mix of skills.
For businesses that need to remain agile in a competitive marketplace, a specialized talent partner offers several benefits:
- Rapid Access to Skilled Workers: Rather than struggling to find skilled trades workers on your own, a specialized partner gives you instant access to a vast talent pool. This means you can onboard qualified professionals quickly, reducing downtime and keeping your projects on track.
- Flexibility and Scalability: Whether your organization is navigating a temporary increase in workload or needs a long-term solution for growing operational demands, access to your partner’s global pipeline ensures that you can scale your workforce up or down without compromising quality.
- Cost-Efficient Workforce Management: Outsourcing talent management helps lower overhead costs related to hiring, training, and employee benefits, allowing you to reallocate resources toward core business functions.
- Reduction in Turnover: A good industrial staffing partner will ensure that the candidates presented are not only technically skilled but also ones who can seamlessly fit into your work environment. This reduces turnover rates, saving costs associated with rehiring and retraining.
- Focus on Core Operations: With a partner managing recruitment and staffing, your internal talent acquisition team is free to focus on mission-critical projects that drive growth, such as innovation, strategic workforce design, succession planning, and employer branding.
Industrial Talent Solutions Partner Options
The growing gap in technical expertise has made it increasingly difficult to find professionals with the right mix of skills. Partnering with an organization that specializes in industrial staffing solutions ensures that you find the exact skill set you need, whether you’re searching for a fully integrated talent management service or need help connecting with the right candidates through recruitment outsourcing.
Integrated Talent Solutions (ITS)
With an ITS model, your partner becomes an extension of your team. They take ownership of the entire recruitment process, from sourcing and hiring to onboarding and managing workers on your behalf. Your ITS partner finds candidates for you to choose from, hires them, and manages them to support your goals. In terms of finances, you pay your ITS partner, and they pay the candidates embedded in your company.
This model is perfect if you want to retain a full-service talent management solution (including payroll management and training) while maintaining control over candidate selection.
The benefits of this type of partnership include:
- Seamless integration of new workers into your team
- Staffing options without the hassle and expense of employee management
- Flexibility to fund your extended workforce through alternate budgets
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
An RPO staffing model is a strategic solution where you leverage your partner’s extensive network to source qualified applicants. Your partner handles recruitment by identifying top talent while ensuring that the workers are the right fit for your work environment. Then, unlike in an ITS model, you hire and manage the candidates you select as your own employees. Depending on your needs, be sure your partner offers global capabilities with a deep understanding of regional labor markets. Typically, an RPO partner acts as a headhunter, so you pay your RPO partner a percentage of the selected candidate’s yearly salary as a finder’s fee.
The key advantages of RPO include:
- Reduced time-to-fill for hard-to-staff roles
- Higher retention rates due to better job matching
- Improved efficiency and cost control if recruitment efforts are centralized
Talent Solutions Partners: A Strategic Approach to Filling Skill Gaps
The growing skills shortage is top of mind for many companies operating in the technical space, but a qualified talent solutions provider can navigate these complex staffing challenges for you.
At GP Strategies, we have a network of recruiters with access to qualified professionals—operators, technicians, training consultants, instructional designers, safety experts, project managers, engineers, and more—who can get the job done so you can focus on what matters most. Reach out to us today to explore how we can resolve your technical skill gaps.
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