Labor shortages are vast, and a variety of industries are not immune to the problem. The plastics industries including plastic production, food packaging, or aerospace engineering are the same as they struggle to deal with labor shortages in the United States. In North America, their supply can’t meet the influx of demand, so they are forced to dip into their inventory.
Why can’t companies within the plastics industry find engineers?
There is a lot of competition when endeavoring to recruit engineers. The high demand for engineers causes companies to do everything within their power to attract the most promising candidates.
Finding good engineers is challenging because there is a shortage of qualified and talented engineers. The competition is very high to attract good engineers.
Some engineers are employed and are not actively seeking another position. Recruiters know how to target these types of passive candidates. Offering incentives to passive candidates motivates them to consider leaving their current company.
Engineering is a highly technical field, and AJ Augur Group utilizes a technical recruiter with knowledge of the industry so that an in-depth technical interview can occur before the candidate is sent to the hiring manager.
Reasons Why There is a Labor Shortage in the Plastics Industry
Apparent factors are contributing to labor shortages in the global plastics market include:
- Millennials were pushed to go to college for so long that there aren’t enough young and trained machine operators for hire.
- New technological advancements and engineering developments create new jobs that need to be filled, intensifying the labor demand across the country.
- More industry workers retire each year than are hired on.
- Workers prefer to work from home or live in a big city rather than a rural area.
Lastly, sudden and robust consumer demand could also cause a labor shortage. The industry wouldn’t necessarily expect this effect to last long enough to reflect a price increase, but it’s hard to say now.
What’s Next for the Plastics Industry?
When it comes to a long-lasting labor shortage, there are only a handful of solutions for companies: the most obvious solution is price increases. When supply doesn’t meet demand, companies have no choice but to increase the prices of their products.
There are a few things that could help to avoid this for consumers:
- Companies could use firms to find suitable workers ready to work on short notice
- Weekly hour averages could increase with mandatory overtime
- Productivity could jump somehow such as refining delivery systems to deliver larger amounts of plastic
Seeing how the options above aren’t sustainable or efficient for company morale or even viable options, to begin with, consumers can likely bank on a price increase across the board on plastics unless something changes soon.
The plastics industry labor shortage might seem industry-focused, and inherently, it is. However, it is a macroeconomic issue as well as a microeconomic issue. Therefore, resolving this issue will take more than a few quick tips in an article. Consumers and business owners must stay tuned to see where this journey takes the industry.
Most in demand are experienced engineers and engineers with hybrid knowledge. Skills in machine learning and artificial intelligence are very desirable. The combined knowledge of power design and verification is up and coming, while jobs focused on the movement of data in a chip and working with advanced packaging are heating up.
Yet despite shiny new hybrid jobs, some older technology is still alive and needs experienced talent. Understanding at least one ecosystem helps — and is a necessary background for working with companies with strong ecosystems.
How can the AJ Augur Group Help You?
Are you hiring a manager for a plastic producer or distributor looking for top engineers in the industry? Submit a search request today.
Are you a top-producing salesperson considering a new role in the plastics industry? Contact us to discuss your career path or browse our open positions.