QuickBooks Enterprise survey shows manufacturers are still hiring, investing in the future

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After conducting a survey of about 1,070 manufacturing executives and hiring managers, QuickBooks Enterprise states that reports of a manufacturing crisis may be premature.

Despite a slowdown, manufacturers plan to hire additional skilled labor over the next 12 months. Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed still have plans to hire more skilled workers within the next year, with only 10 percent answering that they would not hire more skilled employees. The most in-demand job titles include production supervisor, machinist, and picker/packer.

Forty-two percent of manufacturers are finding it moderately difficult to hire skilled workers, while 26 percent reported it was neither easy nor difficult to hire skilled talent; 18 percent reported that it was moderately easy. Only 7 percent of manufacturers currently find it extremely difficult to hire skilled labor. If current workforce trends continue, scales are expected to tip in the direction of moderately and extremely difficult to recruit skilled talent.

Nearly half of respondents said on average it takes three to four weeks to fill a skilled manufacturing position. Nineteen percent of respondents were able to fill vacancies within one to two weeks, while another 22 percent required two to three months to fill skilled positions.

How quickly employers are able to fill skilled vacancies depends on local economic conditions and the regional talent pool, but also the strength of their communication strategy, whether or not they have invested in developing a talent pipeline, and the appeal of their company culture and compensation package.

Of the survey respondents not planning to hire additional skilled workers over the next 12 months, 37 percent said they expected business to hold steady, with no growth and no decline. Twenty-five percent forecast slower demand in the near term, and another 25 percent listed hiring budget as a limiting factor. Thirteen percent of respondents cited recession fears as the primary reason for curtailing hiring. Similarly, 13 percent cited tariff concerns as the primary reason for not hiring additional skilled workers in the next 12 months.

Quickbooks