Central US, Contract Staffing, Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, Midwest US, Northeast US, Pacific US, Quality Assurance, Southeast US, Southwest US, US News

Unemployment at a 4 year low!

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July was a good month for the US economy and this lead to historic highs this week for the US stock market.  At 7.4%, overall US employment continues to make up ground lost during the recession.  The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) also reported unusually strong results across the board in their monthly manufacturing index. Their data showed that Manufacturing rebounded from a mildly positive June to have better than expected results in July.  “The production index jumped 11.6 points to a nine-year high of 65.0%. The new-orders component rose 6.4 points to 58.3%, and the employment index leaped 5.7 points to 54.4%.”  All of this is good for US manufacturing, but is complicating the employment options for those companies who are still cautious or resistant to do the things they need to retainer their current workforce or attract new talent to their team.

Engineering, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, US News

Living In A Candidate Driven Marketplace

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Currently, economic signs for the Life Sciences are starting to look up. Just today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the economy added 162,000 jobs in July. Furthermore, the National Venture Capitalists Association found that VC money flowing into the life sciences was up 41% in dollar terms in Q2 compared to Q1 at a figure of $1.3 Billion dollars.  Regardless of the economic indicators that you observe, one common theme remains: those life science companies that are looking for qualified candidates continue to struggle to find the talent that they need. As this article states, it may be as much a product of client behavior as the market itself.

We continue to find that given feelings of marketplace uncertainty, hiring authorities have become more cautious and deliberative in their decision making processes. As hiring processes drag on, the talent that clients truly want, those that aren’t actively looking, become disinterested over time and are more apt to turn down offers if too much time elapses from the initial interview until the offer. Furthermore, lengthy processes can often result in other employers swooping in with other opportunities or counteroffers from their current employer. In any case, with the passage of time, no benefit to the client from a hiring perspective can come of it. 

So, let us work with you to streamline your hiring processes so that they can be thorough yet expeditious, and allow you to capture those impact players before your competition does.

Shawn Barley
President, Life Sciences Division

Chemical, Engineering, Manufacturing, US News

Reshoring Topic Impacts Staffing

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The featured article discusses the trend of the “candidate driven market” which we have explored several times in the past 18 months. The Richmond Group USA has been in practice long enough to see this event occur several times over 45 years. We consistently advise our clients to expedite the interview process, minimize delays and distractions and be committed to making a hiring decision.  There will always be some fear of making the wrong hire.  Unfortunately there are also some who think that top talent is just around the corner.   

Keep in mind that the new manufacturing buzzword is “reshoring” or bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.  There are many advantages to this concept; offset rising international wages and regulations, oceanic transportation costs and risks, and more.  This does not mean an increase in labor jobs, manufacturing activity is at a four year low. “Reshoring” will heighten the urgency in the race for talent. Companies will require more skilled trade and degreed engineering labor as large manufacturers diversify their portfolios.  For smaller firms cash is king, so hiring and capital project may be put on hold. These measures will require thoughtful planning and strategic human resource initiatives that can identify the right people when the need is urgent.  
 
Zach Price
Director, Chemical Technologies Division

Accounting, Financial Services, Manufacturing, US News

If you wait, you will be too late!

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You will be too late to secure the top talent, who may already be interviewing with you, and who is about to accept another offer. The ability to quickly identify, attract and secure the “right” candidate will become increasingly more difficult for companies, who want a specific skill set.  (i.e. a laundry list of “must haves”) Hiring authorities are risking the successful completion of adding these new hires through multiple & extended delays plus complicated processes. Our market has changed significantly and it is becoming imperative to move swiftly and hire the right talent necessary to lead your company to future success. 

“A survey by ASA corporate partner Monster finds that nearly half (42%) of employed job seekers are dissatisfied with their current job, and 81% of those say they expect to actively search for a new job in the next year.”

So, we know top talent is hard to find and we know these candidates have options.  Multiple options.  So ultimately, it is about identifying the candidate who can successfully get the job done. 

  1. So, what are we looking to accomplish with this addition to our team? 
  2. Will this individual be able to achieve the goals we are looking to accomplish?
  3. And, will this person work well with my team? 

We all know that we can teach the technical skills sets; but personality, work ethic and chemistry? Not so much. Employers hire people that they like AND can successfully get the job done.  Emotions and excitement are in the moment; so when interviews have long delays, complicated processes and an overall inability to execute offers in a timely fashion, then the result will be many more interviews without successful hires… If you wait, you will be too late!

For assistance or additional information, please call The Richmond Group USA.

Krissy Colley Whitaker
Director of Accounting & Finance Division

US News

Expanded hiring by Ford, new facility in Indiana to bring nearly 1,000 automotive jobs

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Hiring in the automotive industry continues to speed at a fast clip, with previous plans by one manufacturer to hire employees extended further than expected and another supplier bringing up to 160 jobs to Indiana.

Ford Motor Company originally planned to hire 2,200 new salaried workers this year to properly manage rising interest and sales in automobiles, but has expanded its needs to add another 800 to its totals, according to The Associated Press.

Desired positions for the company to fill include engineers and computer specialists, which can help them keep up with a 14 percent rise in sales experienced this year. The company originally lost 13,000 salaried workers in restructuring between 2006 and 2009, and while some positions are going to those workers, others have been hired from other high-tech companies.

Meanwhile, Ground Effects, which is an installer of spray-in bed liners, plans to locate a new facility in Allen County, Indiana, near a General Motors plant, bringing up to 160 full-time positions with it. The company plans to install 20,000 bed liners in its first years, hoping to eventually increase its output to 50,000 with more hires, according to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.

US News

Chicago, North Carolina to see boost in manufacturing hiring

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Manufacturing jobs in America continue to see growth, with more than 600 planned jobs to be added in locations including North Carolina and Chicago.

North Carolina’s Montgomery County will see 505 jobs added to its community from Aseptia Inc., a fruits and vegetables processor located in the city of Raleigh, according to the Triangle Business Journal.

Average annual wages for the 505 jobs are estimated to be $29,678 per employee with benefits, while the company plans to invest $53 million in an expansion of its Montgomery County manufacturing facility. It was originally built about a year ago, according to the news source, initially creating 75 jobs in the area while costing the company $10 million.

An additional 100 manufacturing jobs will be coming to Chicago’s South Side, according to Chicago’s public media station WBEZ. Eco-friendly cleaning company Method will be expanding to the area, with its upcoming facility expected to open by early 2015.

The new jobs will be a relief to the city’s Pullman neighborhood, which currently experiences high unemployment. Method’s new facility is part of a larger building project in the area that will bring 1,700 total jobs to the city.