Page 28 - Plastics News November 2020

Manufacturers Must Tackle “Skills Gap Crisis”

World over a growing number of manufacturing roles are
being left vacant, but employers are struggling to recruit
candidates to fill them
As companies around the country get back to work, it's
no secret that the pandemic has changed both the way
they seek to attract new talent and the interview/on-
boarding process.
Health and safety regulations worldwide are becoming
more stringent and the fines more costly. To deliver
better performance and drive innovation, many
manufacturers need to adopt new technology and adapt
to shifting global supply chains. Moreover with an
increasingly aging workforce, many firms are facing a
critical skills gap.
employee development, potentially contributing to high
To meet these challenges, manufacturers need their staff turnover levels.
people to adapt, learn new skills and meet compliance
Lack of diversity: The impression that manufacturing
requirements. Their people need to be trained and then employers do not nurture diversity could be putting
properly assessed, to make sure that training has been people, particularly, young people off from entering the
effective.
industry.
With robust assessments of their people, manufactures
According to experts, when employees don't have the
will get the data they need to make informed decisions skills they need, quality suffers. Manufacturers are
about their workforce and their business.
unable to take advantage of new opportunities and
World over a growing number of manufacturing roles are health and safety is also put at risk. Assessments of the
being left vacant, but employers are struggling to recruit workforce will help employers understand the extent of
candidates to fill them. At the same time, many current the skills gap among their staff. Armed with this
workers fear their skill sets will be largely redundant by information, they can make better decisions on training,
2025. recruitment and personal development.
This growing skills crisis could prevent manufacturers Through online assessments, employers can gather
from taking advantage of new opportunities. It also has robust information on strengths and weaknesses across
an impact on the quality of production and raises the risk the workforce. They can introduce training and support
of health and safety breaches, with employees failing to and ensure that team members understand the
follow procedure. procedures they must follow. By testing candidates
The white paper identifies seven challenges across the before making the decision to hire them, they can
industry: ensure new starters have the skills they need to make a
valuable contribution.
Recruiting people with the right skills: According to
recruitment consultants, some 63% of manufacturing As companies around the country get back to work, it's
hirers noted a skills shortage as the biggest recruitment no secret that the pandemic has changed both the way
problem. they seek to attract new talent and the interview/on-
boarding process.
Outdated skills among the existing workforce: A study by
Capgemini showed that 37% of manufacturing workers Recruiting and hiring good talent can be difficult even in
believe their skill set will be redundant in the next five normal times, but it is even more challenging now. For
years. example, many companies are still working remotely,
and we hear many stories of hiring and on-boarding
High staff turnover: Research by training providers
taking place completely virtually. This change in
Tooling-U SME shows that 43% of manufacturers have an dynamics calls for a re-examination of the sourcing,
annual staff turnover rate of at least 20%.
hiring and on-boarding process to ensure that businesses
Human error: Over 80% of errors in the manufacturing can get the talent they need in order to return to some
process are caused by human error. This creates sense of normalcy as we continue to navigate COVID-19.
problems with quality and for health and safety.
The best way to prepare for a modern and effective
Lack of effective personal development: Just 36% of hiring process is to take a good look at your existing
manufacturing employers set aside a budget for

NOVEMBER 2020 28 Plastics News