UBJ WORKFORCE >> locally, job recruitment for ZF began with the professional and skilled labor, she said. Once production was started, “we began hiring the remainder of the workforce.” As large companies begin the hiring process during startup, it is impossible to complete the operation in-house, said Marisa Middaugh, HR process manager for ZF Transmissions. HTI handled all pre-screening for candidates based on ZF’s hiring plans, she said. Upon beginning operations, staffing services enable large companies to hit the ground running with a prepared workforce and maintain that momentum as they expand. Gary said HTI worked with Greenville Technical College to develop positions in maintenance and machining. Machine tool technology and mechatronics were areas of study applicable to the job openings, she said. In an interview with the Upstate Business Journal in April, Dr. Keith
Miller, president of Greenville Technical College, said the school will amend their curriculum to meet workforce demands. Greenville Technical College is shaping education to meet employer needs through programs offered in the Corporate and Career Development Division, he said. “The school was established in the 1960s to create the skilled workforce companies need for success.” As companies come into the region with major job announcements, or an existing company expands its operations, a ripple effect is experienced throughout the marketplace. When major job announcements are made, staffing firms are well aware of the domino effect that often occurs, said Julie Brown, president and owner of Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing. When one firm expands, its resonance extends beyond job seekers and into the Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers to those major corporations, she said. Large expansions signal aftershocks
that are far-reaching, and depending on the scale of the announcement and the type of hiring needed, small businesses may also feel wage pressure. Including advertising and online posts through business and national websites such as Monster or Careerbuilder, most staffing firms use a variety of techniques in building their workforce, Brown said. Many companies use referral programs and hold career fairs, she said. The talent may be found locally or beyond the regional market, “but it is not difficult to sell candidates on relocating to the Upstate; we are an easy sell.” Brown said staffing and recruiting companies are uniquely qualified to assist firms as expansions occur. The industry recruits 365 days per year and represents the largest single employee base, she said. “Because recruiting and staffing is our only business, we have a very good temperature on the job market.”
• Seasonally adjusted staffing employment was up 0.4 percent over May and 8.1 percent over June of last year, while the average over the past eight months has remained at 8.7 percent, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). • Non-seasonally adjusted BLS data, which estimate the actual number of jobs in the economy, indicated that staffing employment increased by 31,400 in June, up 1.1 percent from May. On a year-to-year basis, there were 8.2 percent more staffing employees in June than in the same month last year. • “Employment in temporary help services continued to trend up (+10,000) and has grown by 216,000 over the past year,” said Erica L. Groshen, commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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