This Recruiting Strategy Guide provides an overview of recruiting for key light industrial positions in the United States.
The Recruiting Environment
Recruiting and retention remain challenging in 2024 as employers navigate a persistent worker shortage Although some workforce issues have softened since the chaos of 2020 and 2021, employers are still grappling with the realities of a "new normal" that is anything but easy Workers' needs, expectations, and options are evolving at breakneck speed The current workforce climate can be distilled into a single word: Instability.
Why You Need a Competitive Recruiting Strategy
Long-term workforce challenges are here to stay. Employee turnover rates are still high, hiring is tough, labor costs continue to increase, and the needs of modern workers continue to evolve at a rapid pace To attract and retain the people you need you must be an Employer of Choice Using this custom Recruiting Strategy Guide, we can develop a recruiting strategy that helps you build the teams you need to succeed, even amid new challenges
Here’s a Look at the
Labor Market
These factors may be influencing your recruiting capabilities.
There Are Many Open Jobs
The U.S. has more open jobs than available workers.
United States: 71 Available Workers for Every 100 Open Jobs
There is a National Worker Shortage
If every unemployed person in the U.S. were employed, there would still be nearly 3 million open jobs.
Quit Rates Remain Challenging
Bureau of Labor Statistics
44.5 MILLION their jobs in 2023.
Changing Worker Expectations & Needs
Modern workers have different needs and job expectations than previous generations driven by major shifts that include:
A Generational Shift
Gen Z is predicted to outnumber baby boomers in the U.S. workforce by 2024. As a result, employers must shift from outdated work structures to meet the priorities and needs of today's workforce.
Changing Family Dynamics:
Modern parents seek jobs compatible with their family commitments. With most married couples both employed, both partners must juggle work and their children's unpredictable needs. Additionally, 62% of mothers with only a high school diploma are single parents who often face the dual challenge of work and child-rearing with limited support and resources.
Traditional Jobs are Competing with New Ways to Work
There was a time when traditional jobs were the only option. Today, work-from-home jobs, gig work, and flex work options are viable options that compete with traditional jobs for modern workers' time.
Inflation Impacts Workers
Today’s workers are struggling to survive in a world rocked by inflation. Workers making wages below the middle-class mark are struggling to afford basic living costs like food, healthcare and housing costs. Even when workers can support their lifestyle, they often struggle to save for emergencies. Without a financial safety net, necessities like car repairs can easily disrupt their employment.
Pay Rate Increases
Pay rates have risen across all industry sectors. Unfortunately, that means we are competing with more employers for workers — especially entry-level and mid-skill workers. As the war for talent roars on, competitive wages remain a significant factor for cash-strapped workers struggling to survive in persistent inflation.
Your Job Opportunity
Right now, you are recruiting for the following jobs. In today’s historically difficult recruiting climate, having a competitive job offer for workers is essential. We’ve assembled local data to guide you through the process of assessing your current job offer and determining how you can develop a successful recruiting strategy.
General Labor
$18.10/Hour
Assist with general labor needs throughout facility
Move products/materials throughout facility
Job requires frequent lifting, standing, squatting, etc.
Food Processor
$17.45/Hour
Process meat products
Work is fast-paced
Work is done in a cold, damp facility
Picker/Packer
$22.04/Hour
Select products to fill orders
Pack and prepare products for shipment
Ensure the quality and quantity of products
Assembly Line Worker
$18.71/Hour
Assemble company products
Ensure the quality of created products
Keep work area tidy and stocked
Screening:
Education:
Experience Level:
WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENT:
Local Labor Market: Inflation Impacts Workers
What the Numbers Mean: United States
Unemployed: This is the number of workers who do not currently have a job but are in the labor market. This group of people is typically considered the easiest to recruit — but right now — they are a very small percentage of the labor force.
Employed: This is the number of people who currently have a job in your area. This group of workers is typically highly motivated to work, but they will only swap their current job for your job opportunity if it offers a clear, desirable upgrade.
Labor Market: This is the number of people who are employed or unemployed in your area. This represents the total number of people who are most willing and able to work in your area. That said, only a select group of people in the total labor market will be interested in or eligible for your position.
Total Population: This is the total number of working-age people who live in your location, but not everyone who lives in your location is willing or able to work. When recruiting, we focus on recruiting individuals who are willing and able to work — those who are in the labor market.
Who You Can Recruit:
of the prime-age workers in your area
Many employers focus on targeting the unemployed, who are considered the easiest recruits, but as we can see, this is a comparatively small group of workers. It's even smaller when you consider that many unemployed workers are not interested in or qualified for your job.
9,648,790
143,278,581
Unemployed and looking for a new job
Local workers currently employed
Meanwhile, 45% of workers would consider putting in their two weeks if they had a better offer, according to a recent G-P study. For this reason, Ōnin also strategically lasers in on the currently employed workers who are looking for a job upgrade. Using this tactic increases the quantity of our applicant pool and allows us to recruit workers who also possess the attitude, aptitude, and desire to work, along with the skill set you are seeking. Unemployed and Looking for Work
The Recruiting Triad
Pick Two Strategic Offers:
Exceptional Pay& Benefits
Radically Accessible Opportunities
Outstanding Work/Life Balance
The Recruiting Triad shows us the three primary recruiting strategies we can utilize to attract today’s workers. You must choose two recruiting offers to successfully recruit workers. This will be a part of your recruiting strategy that Ōnin can help you employ.
Exceptional Pay & Benefits
Let’s face it — most people work for pay and benefits. Offering exceptional pay and benefits is typically the most successful offer a company can make to attract workers.
Do You Offer Exceptional Pay?
To offer exceptional pay and choose “Pay and Benefits” as one of your strategic recruiting offerings, you must offer pay that is above the 50th percentile mark in your location and is a livable wage. Offering pay below the 50th percentile will not only make it more challenging to recruit people from existing jobs, it will also put us at risk of losing workers on assignment to competition.
You will also need to offer (or partner with a company that offers) benefits that are more affordable, comprehensive and competitive than the average plan. As your staffing partner, Ōnin can help you do this. We offer exceptional benefits that are affordable, accessible and cover a worker’s physical, as well as mental, healthcare needs for just $17.82 a week.
City, State within 30 miles Position 1
Assembly Line Worker
Your compensation is between the XXth and XXth percentile for this location. United States
CareerOneStop, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Can Workers Afford to Support their Families?
Many workers must support not only themselves, but their children. As of the 2020 Census, the average American family with dependents had an average of 1.93 children. If your job does not provide a living wage for the workers themselves and/or their dependents, many workers will not apply for your position.
If you're unable to offer exceptional pay (a livable wage above the 50th percentile mark), your employees will most likely require some form of government assistance. If this is the case, it will be more difficult to recruit employees. As the chart below shows, workers in your area are statistically unlikely to work full-time if they meet the poverty criteria and are eligible for government benefits.
Your Market: Persons in Poverty Age 20-64
29,752,023 18,159,714
2,745,876
Outstanding Work/Life Balance
Workers have stated work/life balance is their most desired job perk in many recent surveys. As a strategic recruiting option, providing an outstanding work/life balance gives workers the flexibility to take care of their personal lives and/or provides a deeply fulfilling work environment.
Why it works
Many modern workers have evolving personal lives that make traditional work schedules impractical and undesirable. At the end of the day, many workers want more control over their time and money so they can live and work according to their own unique needs.
Common Outstanding Work/Life Balance Options Offered by Employers Include:
Flexible schedule options: Offering flexible schedules to workers allows companies to tap into a new pool of workers and build a supplemental, on-demand team. The Ōnin Flex program empowers you to make flexibility an option.
Childcare assistance: Many modern workers — especially those without a bachelor's degree — struggle to afford and access childcare, which limits their ability to work a traditional schedule. Employers can attract candidates by providing resources for working parents to balance work and family obligations. Tools include providing childcare stipends, creating schedules that correlate with local daycare and school schedules, and onsite daycare services.
A generous PTO (paid time off) program: The average PTO plan gives employees two weeks (10 days) of PTO per year. Employers can consider giving employees significantly more paid time off to manage their personal lives.
Unlimited personal days: If your company can't afford to offer PTO to newer employees, consider offering No Pay No Penalty for personal days. This could prevent losing quality employees due to challenging life circumstances.
Ōnin Flex addresses worker shortages by filling the gaps in line coverage with part-time, flexible workers. Through Ōnin’s technology and our hands-on approach, we’ll manage the scheduling, coordination, and payroll of your Flex team.
Flex Helps You Fill shifts dynamically
Access more vetted talent Reduce overtime
An inspiring work culture that puts people first: An inspiring work culture allows employees to prioritize their passions and find meaning in a supportive environment. This option is openended but requires lots of thought, effort and investment from an employer to become a truly competitive recruiting option.
Radically Accessible Opportunities
Why it works
The U.S. workforce is undergoing a massive generational shift. Gen Z is predicted to make up a larger portion of the U.S. workforce than Baby Boomers for the first time in 2024. By 2030, all baby boomers will be retirement age, leaving a large skills gap to fill in the midst of a labor shortage. That means a new generation of workers needs to be trained and empowered by employers.
Companies Choosing this Option May:
Eliminate Barriers
Create more lenient drug screen requirements: Consider waiving common drug screen requirements, like marijuana testing, to open doors to workers with lifestyles that have historically been considered incompatible with traditional employment.
Offer jobs to workers with recent criminal convictions: Many companies are still hesitant to hire workers with recent criminal (especially felony) convictions. By working with second-chance employees, companies open doors for workers who have often been left on the sidelines.
Build a Fast Track to Opportunity
Offer training and a fast-track career path: Workers, especially those considered entry-level, want access to opportunities that will give them upward mobility. Offering training and a clear career ladder allows companies to recruit motivated workers that other employers are ignoring.
A simple, fun hiring and onboarding process: Employees hate wasting time to get hired, especially if they’re not getting paid. Creating a quick, streamlined hiring process (think a few hours) is a great way to attract employees ready to work. Building an onboarding experience that makes workers feel excited about their new opportunity is a bonus.
Your Recruiting Strategy
Employers are competing for workers, making the job offerings very competitive. Given the small percentage of unemployed workers in your area, we will want to create a job offer that appeals to both unemployed and employed workers. Employed workers will need to be convinced that switching jobs is worth the risk. To do this, you will need to create a job opportunity that uses the Recruiting Triad to present a job opportunity that is a clear upgrade over their current position.
Exceptional Pay& Benefits
Radically Accessible Opportunities
What is Your Company’s Ideal Recruiting Strategy?
Great Pay & Benefits Outstanding Work/Life Balance:
In the new normal, this is an incredibly competitive recruiting strategy that allows people to both meet their financial needs in a high-inflation economy and deal with their personal lives in our volatile “new normal.” This option is highly desired by the workforce and can give your company a huge advantage over other companies hiring.
Great Pay & Benefits Radically Accessible Opportunities:
This combination can inspire loyal workers long-term. Many workers are looking to explore new industries or land careers for the first time while still meeting their financial needs. However, few companies are open to providing well-paying opportunities to truly entrylevel employees and non-traditional workers, which gives you a recruiting advantage. By choosing this option, employers shift their focus from “buying” a workforce to “building” their own workforce from the ground up.
This option appeals to non-traditional workers who need flexibility and extra resources to participate in the labor force. To build this type of program, employers must make a longterm commitment to provide workers with, not only a job, but also unique life resources. By opening new doors to new pools of employees and providing a truly flexible experience, your company can attract overlooked workers that other companies are ignoring.
What's Next?
Find Your Recruiting Strategy
We are all dealing with a challenging recruiting climate that is constantly evolving. Right now, you may feel trapped in a tide of chaotic hiring and workforce disruptions that are exhausting your resources.
We are here to collaboratively guide you to a recruiting strategy that will work for you and your workforce.
