BUSINESS OPERATIONS
By Josh Roza
Travel Staffing Solutions for the Skilled Trades
W
ith a shortage of nearly 1 million skilled workers nationwide, which is projected to double by 2025, companies don’t have the necessary workforce to grow. The labor shortage causes many construction companies to lose money due to missed deadlines, overtime, and worker burnout. Unfortunately, traditional hiring methods are not an effective solution to this decades-old problem. For example, companies can get into bidding wars with their competitors for the limited available local talent, pay a headhunter 30% of a skilled worker’s total salary up front, hire full time HR employees to act as recruiters, or use a temp agency where people will jump at the first opportunity to take a full-time role with a competing company. Another option is the travel staffing model, which has been successful in the medical industry for decades placing nurses. Skillwork uses this model to recruit nationally. With more than 25 years of experience in construction, Josh Roza, Client Manager for SkillWork, helps companies get their projects completed on-time by finding them the skilled workers they need. Contact him at josh.roza@skillwork.com or visit skillwork.com for more information.
40 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
History of Travel Staffing More than 25 years ago, there was a chronic shortage of nursing professionals across the country. Demand kept increasing and hospitals were slowly getting crushed under the impact of their staffing problems. A few pioneering companies developed a new model to solve the problem: searching for skilled and certified nurses across the country who were also interested in opportunities outside their local communities. They soon discovered that the combination of adventure/opportunity for travel and great wages/ benefits was a perfect blend. Now there are an estimated 25,000 travel nursing jobs in the U.S. and more than 340 travel nursing companies. Utilizing this tried and tested travel nursing model, Skillwork has helped companies overcome their staffing shortages by recruiting and deploying the best skilled trade talent in transportation, manufacturing, and now, construction. Skillwork recruits for a large variety of skilled worker jobs, including some which make up the largest trade shortages—Project Managers, Riggers, Electricians, Crane Operators, Equipment Mechanics, Welders, Fitters, and others. We recruit nationally for these positions and use industry-leading testing to ensure that these men and women are highly skilled, vetted to fit your company