Skilled labor shortages are slowing down production, delaying customer orders, and costing real money. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are five proven ways businesses like yours are hiring faster and building a workforce that actually sticks around.
1. Rethink Who You’re Trying to Hire—and How You’re Hiring Them
If you’re struggling to find qualified candidates, the problem might not be the labor market—it might be how you’re looking. Too many businesses are still hiring like it’s 2005: long lists of requirements, specific industry experience, and job ads that sound like they were written by a lawyer. That approach shuts out a lot of great people who could be trained quickly and perform just as well—or better—than the “perfect” candidate you’re hoping for.
The businesses that are winning at hiring today have shifted how they think about talent. They’re not chasing unicorns. They’re focusing on people who are reliable, mechanically inclined, open to learning, and hungry for a steady opportunity. That’s it. If someone has experience in a hands-on job—even if it’s not manufacturing—they’re worth a shot.
Here’s a simple, powerful way to look at this: hire for potential, not for perfection. A strong work ethic and the ability to learn are more valuable than a resume full of specific experience. You can teach someone how to run a press brake. You can’t teach them to show up on time and care about doing a good job.
Let’s walk through a hypothetical example. Say you’re running a metalworking shop and need a press operator. You post the job online with a list of 8 required skills, including 3+ years operating the exact machine you use. You get almost no applicants. So you revise the listing: you cut the requirements down to the basics—“hands-on job experience, mechanical interest, good attitude, able to lift 50 lbs”—and mention that full training is provided. You start getting responses from people who’ve worked in construction, warehouses, even auto shops. One of those people becomes your best operator within 90 days.
Some manufacturers are even bringing in people from completely different backgrounds—former military, HVAC apprentices, warehouse workers—and giving them a shot. And it’s paying off. You don’t need a perfect match. You need someone who can learn and wants to grow.
Here’s another angle: consider dropping the resume requirement altogether for entry-level roles. Instead, use a short, friendly application and do a quick hands-on test or trial day. You’ll get more candidates, and you’ll see who’s really motivated—without filtering people out too early.
It’s not about lowering standards. It’s about adjusting the lens. The skilled worker shortage is partly a hiring imagination shortage. If you’re open-minded and structured about how you bring people in, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can build the workforce you need.
2. Turn Your Floor into a Training Ground, Not a Battle Zone
Expecting new hires to hit the ground running is a recipe for disappointment—especially in manufacturing, where every shop floor has its own quirks. If you want to stop the revolving door and actually grow talent, you’ve got to create an environment where learning is baked in from day one.
Most businesses don’t need fancy training software or a corporate HR team to do this well. They need a simple, consistent way to get new hires comfortable and confident. Think in terms of a 30-60-90 day plan. What should someone be able to do after their first month? What about after three? Break it down into bite-sized skills and tasks. Then build short, focused lessons around each milestone—ideally taught by your best people.
But don’t just pick your top performer and expect them to be a good trainer. Choose people who are patient, clear, and want to see others succeed. That one choice can make all the difference.
Here’s a practical idea that’s worked for some businesses: use a visual skills matrix on the shop floor—like a wall chart or badge system—to track what each employee has mastered. It gives workers a sense of progress and gives managers an easy way to spot who’s ready to take on more.
For example, imagine a small fabrication shop that uses a red-yellow-green badge system. Red means “training,” yellow means “can work supervised,” and green means “certified solo.” Employees wear their badge color for each station, and it creates a natural rhythm of progression. It also makes it easier to cross-train—and to spot where someone needs extra support before a problem shows up in the work.
When you treat training like a core part of operations—not an afterthought—you not only build skills faster, you build loyalty. People stay where they feel they’re being set up to succeed.
3. Build a Place People Want to Stay—Not Just Show Up To
Hiring is only half the battle. The other half is getting people to stick around. And the honest truth is this: most businesses don’t have a hiring problem—they have a retention problem.
A big part of that comes down to what it feels like to work on your floor. Is it predictable or chaotic? Is there any recognition? Do people feel safe and heard, or like they’re just clocking in and out under pressure?
Fixing culture doesn’t mean beanbags and ping pong tables. It means addressing the basic stuff that quietly pushes people out: poor communication, unclear expectations, no feedback, broken tools, constant schedule changes. These are the things that kill morale and make employees look for the exit.
Start small. A 15-minute weekly huddle with each team—just to check in, take feedback, and fix little issues—can completely change the tone of your floor. Give people a voice, and make it easy for them to raise ideas or concerns without drama.
Here’s a hypothetical: a small plastics manufacturer in North Carolina noticed high turnover among new hires. After exit interviews, they realized people were quitting not because of pay—but because no one explained what success looked like. They added a simple checklist of “what great looks like” for each role and did weekly one-on-ones during the first 90 days. Turnover dropped by half in three months.
People want to do a good job. They want to feel like what they do matters. The manufacturers who create that kind of environment don’t just keep employees longer—they get better performance, too.
4. Partner with Local Schools, Training Programs, and Second-Chance Pipelines
If you’re only reacting to labor shortages once the line slows down, you’re already behind. Forward-thinking manufacturers are taking the long view—and building their own pipelines.
That means forming relationships with local high schools, trade schools, community colleges, and even reentry programs for people coming out of the justice system. These organizations are filled with people looking for a shot—and you can be the business that gives it to them.
It doesn’t have to be formal or expensive. Offer to give a tour. Show students what modern manufacturing actually looks like. Invite instructors to walk your floor and see what skills matter most. Create an intern or job shadowing path. You’re not just recruiting—you’re planting seeds.
Say you’re a small parts supplier near a community college. You reach out to the welding instructor and offer paid internships over the summer. Even just two students come in, get trained, and enjoy the work. One of them joins full-time after graduation. Repeat that process every year, and in three years, you’ve built a pipeline that pays off.
Even second-chance programs can be valuable. Many states and nonprofits offer support for helping formerly incarcerated individuals re-enter the workforce. Some of these folks have solid skills and a strong motivation to prove themselves. It takes the right culture and a clear structure—but if you get it right, you’re helping someone turn their life around while filling roles most businesses can’t.
This isn’t charity. It’s smart business. If talent is scarce, you have to be willing to help shape it—not just wait for it to walk in fully formed.
5. Treat Workforce Planning Like a Business Process—Not a Headache
You wouldn’t wait until a machine breaks down to figure out what to do next. So why wait until you’re understaffed to start thinking about hiring?
Workforce planning needs to be treated like any other operational strategy: with clear goals, timelines, and accountability. That means tracking how long it takes to fill roles, where hires come from, how long they stay, and where gaps are forming before they become fires.
Make hiring a steady process, not a panic response. Put someone in charge of keeping your hiring pipeline warm—even if it’s just part of their job. Make sure job ads are always running, relationships with schools are maintained, and interview processes are quick and clear.
One packaging company in Texas did something smart: they treated hiring the same way they treated maintenance. They built a dashboard showing open positions, hiring timelines, turnover rate, and where the next gaps would likely emerge. Over time, they cut time-to-hire in half and had a ready bench of candidates.
Also, make sure your hiring process doesn’t scare people off. Long delays, unclear expectations, or no communication during the process can turn off the very candidates you want. Streamline where you can. If someone applies on Monday, can you interview them by Wednesday?
Hiring can feel like a chore. But when you treat it like a core function—just like production or logistics—it starts working for you instead of against you.
3 Clear Takeaways You Can Act On Today
- Stop waiting for the perfect hire. Shift your focus to potential. There are capable people out there—you just have to give them a shot and train them well.
- Create your own pipeline. Build simple, real relationships with schools, training centers, and second-chance programs. Start now, and you’ll see the payoff faster than you think.
- Treat hiring like a process, not a panic. Build consistency into your recruiting, training, and retention strategy—just like you do in production—and your team will be stronger for it.