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February 23, 2022
Staffing shortages are getting more and more common in today’s economy. During the pandemic, many people found themselves working from home or out of work, and it gave them time to reflect on their lives—leading many to change careers or leaving the workforce all together. On top of this, fields such as skilled labor are seeing fewer young people join after graduation. And as older laborers retire, there’s no one available to fill employment gaps. This means employers are facing some shortages when it comes to finding new workers.
Four ways to handle staffing shortages at your company
All is not lost, though! With the following techniques, you can address staffing shortages head-on and help keep business moving as usual:
Train your current staff.
You may be down a few workers, but you can always spread responsibilities around to your remaining staff. Or move a current employee to fill an open position, and then backfill. Train your current employees on skills you’ve lost from retired workers. The benefit is they’re already familiar with your industry and company, making the learning curve much shorter than starting fresh with a new candidate.
Review the skillsets of existing employees.
One factor many employers have noticed is the skillsets they believe they’re missing already exist in current employees. Be more effective in how you’ve assigned your staff by reviewing their responsibilities and skills, and then reassigning job roles as they fit best.
Re-assess qualifications.
What roles does your company need filled? Is it easy to train a new worker on skills they may not have at time-of-hire? Review required qualifications and identify must-haves versus nice-to-haves. Then, interview an employee based on their willingness to learn new skills. This can open up your hiring process to additional potential candidates.
Find industry partners.
Training schools have fresh graduates ready to enter the working world. By partnering with these schools, you can scoop up candidates right after graduation—saving them the effort of searching for a new job. Which is, of course, also a time savings for you in your candidate search.
Work with a recruiter.
A staffing agency that specializes in your industry is a key partner in filling your staffing shortages. Your recruiter will work with you to understand your staffing needs and help match you to qualified candidates.
Check out Inter-Connect
We specialize in the placement of administrative/clerical, industrial, office/clerical, professional/managerial and technical candidates, and we’re ready to talk with you! To learn more, contact Inter-Connect today!