When it comes to the textiles industry, you can't run a profitable organization without competent, skilled, and passionate workers. However, hiring these employees isn't so easy and even presents an issue for hiring managers for high-end fashion labels. Today's workers aren't so content with being boxed in one role their entire careers and expect to advance the ranks. With today's massive market hiring, many people companies' work culture and ethics come into play. With things like sustainability and ethical employment being a significant concern, employees will move onto other jobs if they don't believe in the company they work for every day. This can present problems for hiring managers, and so we will explore the issues here and how to overcome them potentially.
Workforce Shortage
One of the significant contributors to the workforce shortage is fewer people who graduate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. The other is unsafe work areas. The textile industry has a reputation for workplaces that are outdated and unsafe. When you work with chemicals, there can be a lot of places where people cut corners when it concerns safety requirements, so potential employees are wary of this. Another big concern is the misconception that the industry doesn't offer competitive wages or has any room for innovation. Actually, the textile industry provides competitive salaries, but sometimes that isn't enough to attract new employees.
Hiring Difficulties
The problems that arise in hiring in the textile manufacturing sector are systemic from a social perspective. Civil engineers who are highly skilled and able to fill every niche and specific role within the process are just too few to go around. This results from decades of recruitment budgeting and the sheer undervaluing of college recruitment. In addition, college curriculums have been shifting away from the needs of the industry. With that, so have the graduate's expectations.
Worker Retention
Worker retention is most prevalent in the garment industry. Most manufacturing factories have a hard time filling up their sewing lines. Even when they satisfy a quota of necessary workers, their retainment rates are abysmal. One of the most significant issues here can be as simple as paying your workforce quickly and consistently. Other issues are stagnant salaries and no bonuses.
Low Worker Engagement
Even though there are now more workers in the workforce, engagement is at an all-time low. One of the issues is simply the way we make things today. Rarely do we see a factory that makes their entire product from scratch in one location. It is merely easier to manufacture one part of the whole and then have it all shipped to another location for assembly.
This takes away the pride element of creating something whole. It is reasonable to feel displaced from the work you do when all you make is a thing that gets shipped somewhere else.
The Competition
Globalization has given and taken more jobs than anything else in recent years. That's why many manufacturers have moved away from more developed countries to those less so. The industry can't stay competitive internationally, as labor costs are much lower than in the western world. So this means that any manufacturing workforce in the more developed nations must maximize their output, constantly innovate and entice their employees in every department.
How can we overcome these problems
First, we need to know where we can find our potential workforce. We shouldn't be shy in using social media and target the right people for the job required. Provide fair and safe work conditions. Doing so can be costly initially, but it's one of those things that pays for itself in the long run. Today's workforce won't even consider working for a company with a poor reputation regarding safety and regulations.
Besides safety, employees also want to grow, and the new workforce hates the idea of being stagnant. Simple things like having different departments interact and communicate ideas together can go a long way into building worker camaraderie. Give out monetary rewards for those who excel in their position.
If your company is located far from your employees arrange transportation of some kind. If you can't offer company transportation, give your employees an allowance for their travel expenses to and from their residence and workplace.
Conclusion
The worst thing you can do is not evolve with the times, and the textile industry is slow to change. Instead, you have to find out what drives your employees to come to the workplace every day. For some people, it will be money, but for others, it might be something else. Have frequent surveys and be on top of your worker needs, and your retention numbers will reflect that. The aging workforce is disappearing fast, and to attract a new one, companies must change.
On a related topic check out our article on how you can recruit and manage for the oil & gas industry!