How to make metal fabricating the job seeker’s No. 1 career choice

Finding the right workers has been a major concern for metal fabricating company owners and managers for several years, and it’s only gotten worse with the manufacturing economy roaring back in recent months. Getty Images

“What’s the toughest challenge you face?” is a common question asked of metal fabrication job shop owners. Their answers are typically the same: finding, hiring, and retaining qualified people.

This concern has been a constant for metal fabricators. Since 2011 it’s topped The FABRICATOR’s “What Keeps You up at Night?” survey, which asks the thoughts of the North American fabricating community every two years. In June 2019, when the last survey was published, 45% of those surveyed listed “availability of skilled workers” as their No. 1 concern. It garnered the highest percentage of votes since the issue started dominating the survey 10 years ago. Although historically high steel prices and material unavailability likely dominate the thoughts of shop owners today, they still have to be concerned with having the right people in place if they want to take advantage of all the opportunities associated with this economic rebound.

It’s a competitive job market right now and so creating a winning strategy that allows your company to attract the best and the brightest is of critical importance. According to the latest Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing Industry Profile from First Research, nearly 50,000 companies comprise the $343 billion fabricated metal product manufacturing industry, and almost 1.3 million people work in these fabricating facilities. Currently manufacturing has momentum, and an acceleration of hiring is imminent. Excellent opportunities await job candidates in the fabricated metal product manufacturing sector. We just need to make them aware of the possibilities.

To help our members and industry manufacturers fine-tune their hiring strategies and recruitment efforts, the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International has released a new e-book, Careers in Metal Fabrication: A Practical Guide to Modern Recruiting for Fabrication Employers. We think this tool for hiring managers arrives at the right moment as the challenge of recruiting, training, and keeping employees only seems to be getting more difficult for fabricators and manufacturers as they have to compete with other staff-hungry industry sectors for employees. The guide provides ideas and tools to address the challenges of finding, hiring, and training the best candidates. Our goal is that this reference tool establishes a consistent standard, a common set of terms, and baseline data that help to elevate the industry as its participants look to make metal fabricating the industry of employment choice.

Careers in Metal Fabrication addresses many different areas, including the importance of understanding job seekers and how we need to meet them where they are. The trade publication Automation World reported back in its July 2019 issue that 32% of Gen Z has had manufacturing suggested to them as a career option, as compared to only 18% of millennials and 13% of the general population. This serves as a reminder that we need to continue working hard to address the perception of modern manufacturing. Today’s job applicants consume and find information through many different channels such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Your target applicant pool isn’t reading the Sunday newspaper. Our guide provides suggestions on how to use these various channels to reach these applicants.

Once you understand how to reach the talent pool, you need to assess the local landscape for job opportunities. Who’s hiring, and what do they offer new employees? This can help you identify your company’s competitive advantages, which can be the focus of efforts to attract the most desirable candidates.

One thing the industry must embrace is its use of cutting-edge technology to produce and manufacture parts and finished products. Other industries have a hard time matching the pace of new technology adoption practiced by modern manufacturers. Lasers now have power sources that generate up to 15 kW of cutting power. Press brakes have automated tool-changing technology that allows operators to make parts, not just set up machines to make parts. The ever-growing use of robots for bending, finishing, material handling, and welding makes fab shops more productive and safe.

Work-life balance and flexibility also are important to today’s job seekers. Companies that can be more flexible in scheduling and creative in the benefits they offer will make themselves more attractive to job candidates.

Our hope is that Careers in Metal Fabrication will serve as a key resource in developing your hiring strategies and tactics. Please let us know your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve future updates.

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