This morning the big red bulletin on NBC News online reads “Jobs Growth slows to a snail’s pace in August”. It also states that more Americans are giving up looking for work. Certainly the upcoming election is impacting employer’s decisions to hire and there are many positions still vacant from earlier this year. The range of positions that companies have marked to fill are related to either incremental revenue or maximizing capital slated for projects and expansions. Actually making the decision to hire seems to be the challenge. Nearly every position we see requires advanced technical training and certification. Sometimes a position requires such a unique combination of skills and certifications that it is nearly impossible to find a candidate, much less a selection of candidates to compare. The specificity of these roles can eliminate or hinder hard working technical professionals from applying. There are many candidates who can do the job and be willing and enthusiastic about on the job training. Managers require workforce to increase and improve production, grow revenue and market share. Yet managers also need to minimize overhead and production costs. It’s obvious that we need revised legislation to lower regulatory costs which can free up capital for employee on site training and administrative costs. On the positive side, flexibility in candidate criteria and the selection process is one thing that we can adjust in the hiring process that will lead to success in hiring.
Zach Price
Director, Chemical Technologies Division
The Richmond Group USA