Staffing Trends for 2012 | BarryStaff - Dayton Ohio Staffing Agency

Staffing Industry Trends for 2012

The demand for temporary workers remains strong even though unemployment, while trending downward, remains high at 8.5%. More and more, employers are taking on temporary workers as an alternative to permanent hiring. CareerBuilder recently released a Harris Interactive study that showed more than a third of American companies are operating with smaller staffs than before the recession, and 36% will hire contract or temporary workers in 2012 to keep business moving forward.

A Comeback In Manufacturing
Manufacturing is one industry in particular that is showing signs of growth. Transportation and warehouse industries rose sharply in December 2011, and seasonal hiring was strong. According to a survey conducted by Cook Associates Executive Search, 85% of manufacturing executives believe certain manufacturing operations could return to the U.S. 37% cited overseas costs as the biggest factor in this shift, while 19% claimed logistics was the top reason.
Also, the nation’s factories have added 334,000 jobs since December 2009 – about 13% of what was lost during the recession – marking the first sustained increase in manufacturing employment since 1997, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Knowledge Is Power
Physical labor continues to be replaced by machines, but the manufacturing sector needs people who understand the technology behind this equipment. More than just separate groups of thinkers and manual laborers, manufacturers need people somewhere in the middle who bring a certain level of knowledge to the table, along with collaborative, interpersonal and creative abilities.
This trend will continue to grow for the foreseeable future and brings major implications. Filling certain types of positions can be difficult for employers, and the public education system will be playing catch-up to better prepare young people with more well-rounded skillsets to compete in an ever-evolving marketplace.
Companies are turning to staffing firms to provide skilled and semi-skilled workers as long-term temp or “casual” workforces become increasingly popular for manufacturers. Positions like skilled welders, machine operators, CNC machinists and robotics technicians will likely increase in demand. At Bear, our comprehensive temporary benefits package and expertise in temp-to-hire placement make us an ideal partner to fulfill these needs.

Generational Mix
Retiring early is no longer an option for a large segment of the workforce, as many people are working longer to make ends meet and prepare for retirement. Today’s workplace is actually made up of members from four generations, making an already diverse workforce even more diverse. Not only do these vastly different generations have to co-exist to maintain high levels of productivity, but managers need to sharpen their communication skills and adjust their management styles to effectively oversee such a complex workforce.