According to GoodTime’s 2025 Hiring Insights Report, manufacturing firm respondents indicated their top hiring challenge was retention and their priority was hiring efficiency. In the previous year:
- 36% of respondents achieved their hiring goals
- 53% said the manufacturing hiring landscape became more competitive
- 55% of leaders reported that time-to-hire increased
Manufacturers struggle to meet workforce demands
The study found that manufacturing hiring teams struggled to meet workforce demands due to an increasingly competitive job market and additional time needed to hire qualified talent:
- Hiring team capacity, candidate reliability, and retention were top concerns.
- High turnover disrupted staffing stability as employees found better pay and benefits in other industries.
- Unmanageable hiring team workloads strained recruitment efforts.
- Hybrid work models, evolving hiring practices, and managing large applicant pools with qualification mismatches extended the hiring cycles.
- Many new hires failed to show up for their first day, creating staffing gaps that delayed productivity.
- Hiring teams had to restart the recruitment process.
Slow hiring processes and poor candidate engagement threaten operational stability in an industry reliant on a consistent workforce. Therefore, manufacturing hiring must be efficient and effective to support business growth.
These strategies create manufacturing hiring processes built for speed and sustainability.
Identify Critical Roles
Conduct a manufacturing workforce analysis to determine which roles provide the most organizational impact. For instance, engineering, production, and quality control positions directly influence product quality and operational efficiency. Focusing your hiring efforts in these areas supports sustainability while you build out the rest of your team.
Integrate Artificial Intelligence and Automation
Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation streamline manufacturing hiring tasks such as job posting, resume screening, interview scheduling, candidate tracking, and reporting. For instance, AI-based chatbots handle repetitive tasks, allowing the hiring team to focus on building candidate relationships. The increased flexibility makes hiring more candidate-friendly and leads to fewer hiring delays.
Create Engaging Job Descriptions
Sell each job opportunity to generate excitement about joining your team. For instance, emphasize the competitive income, benefits, and perks offered. Include the use of emerging technologies, training, and career growth opportunities to attract qualified candidates eager to learn and grow.
Update Your Interviewing Techniques
Conduct video or phone interviews with prescreening questions to gather essential candidate information and qualifications and assess cultural fit. Then, shortlist qualified applicants for more in-depth interviews:
- Structured interviews with consistent questions ensure fairness and let the hiring team compare answers.
- Including technical and behavioral questions provides insights into a candidate’s problem-solving skills and cultural fit.
- When hiring for technical roles, include skill assessments to gauge hands-on knowledge and experience.
- Extend job offers as quickly as possible to secure top talent.
Enhance Onboarding
A comprehensive, engaging onboarding process sets up new hires for long-term success:
- Help new hires quickly integrate into the team and role.
- Include safety training, hands-on learning, and opportunities to meet teammates and supervisors.
- Match new hires with a buddy to help navigate the first few weeks.
- Provide ongoing resources and support to strengthen retention.
Modify Your Manufacturing Hiring Process
Work with Connectology to increase speed and sustainability in your manufacturing hiring process.
