Retiring Boomers: What’s Next for the Manufacturing Industry?
By Chris Hillman, Recruiting Professional
SearchPath of Chicago, Inc.
www.searchpathofchicago.com
It’s no wonder that when a description like “life sentence” is associated with a career path, the young professionals joining the workforce steer clear of that option. That’s the case for the manufacturing industry and the millennials haven’t been onboard, resulting in most of the jobs filled with seasoned veterans of the trade (the Baby Boomers…the Retiring Boomers).
What happens when these experienced workers leave the workforce? Change.
If you have found yourself looking at your workforce recently and have started to realize that you may need to alleviate the gap, you might want to reconsider your current strategy. Below are some options to help attract and maintain the younger work force:
- Intergenerational connections: Generational gaps are a legitimate thing in the workforce. Boomers and millennials are especially separated. One way to bridge that gap and transfer knowledge is to place boomers in the coaching roles and allow millennials to absorb the experience that boomers offer. Companies could also work on developing more project teams that allow for continuing learning and hands-on experiences.
- Adapt new interview and hiring processes: The younger workforce is inundated with an absorbent amount of opportunities to advance their personal growth. Given that the ‘tech-savvy’ generation is coming up with a new widget/method/apps daily, it’s hard to keep up with the trends. Why not leave that trend tracking up to the professionals? Let search firms do the leg work for you. They know the trends, they understand where new talent is looking and can find them. Not only that, they have more efficient ways to discovery natural talent.
- Stand out: Manufacturing is manufacturing, there is no way around it. However, it can still be “attractive”. Pull a page from Google – free lunch, subsidized massages, gyms or free dry cleaning. Integrating a culture that attracts millennials and aligns with their lifestyle. This can not only can attract young talent but also transform the negative connotation of a “life sentence” to a more sought-after choice.
Boomers may have decided to leave the game later than expected but, they will leave. It’s inevitable. Gear up now to help alleviate the pain of finding talent when your seasoned workers leave. Start coaching young talent now to transfer knowledge, hire help that’ll help you find the right people and change it up – make your company attractive. Don’t find yourself with numerous jobs to fill, prepare now and be ready.
For additional information, please email Chris Hillman – Executive Recruiter or call (815) 261-4403 x 100