Screening for Experience & Skills: How the Manufacturing Sector Keeps Shelves Stocked

Manufacturing companies are hiring talent to keep up with demand. Engineers, product designers, assembly line workers, and inventory pickers all play critical roles. Let's take a look at how background checks help you hire the makers of critical goods. You may consider:

• Skills and experience – Do the candidates have a background in production?
• Flexibility – How will candidates respond to new and emerging challenges?
• Location – Where in the world are manufacturers looking for talent?

Technology-based Skills and Experience

Technology and innovation go hand-in-hand. In some cases, this means less human interaction is required. Other situations require more skilled and experienced talent. One report points out that manufacturing positions have become more technically sophisticated. This has created challenges to hire workers with the right backgrounds and skills.

Many production facilities enhance background checks by checking degrees and diplomas. Our research shows manufacturing is in the top five industries using job and academic history checks. For executives, chemists, and analytics, education is proof of aptitude needed.

Other trends for manufacturing background checks include:

• The vast majority in the sector use some combination of county or state criminal history searches.
• Most use a National Criminal Database search, National Sex Offender Registry, and ID Trace.
• Over half of producers use international searches.

Find out what other background checks manufacturing companies use. Download our 2020 Industry Trends Report ››

Quick-to-learn Workforce for New Products

Companies that can change course on a dime have found some success in recent months. Some facilities shifted production to personal protective equipment (PPE) or other urgent needs. Many manufacturers have gotten creative to meet demands on the factory floor. Some states added new laws and other incentives to help sustain the manufacturing sector.

How does a workforce keep up with these shifts? You need a team of assemblers that is flexible and ready to work together. Employees learn many of the skills necessary for manufacturing roles on the job. The same goes for when new equipment and goods hit the line. Your best-fit candidates may have a variety of skills and like to learn new ones. Checking a candidate’s references might help. Eagerness to learn is part of a new hire’s character. A reference check with a past employer or personal connection may help put together a skilled team.

Where Production Has Re-located

Over the last year, many organizations had to face issues with their supply chain. At times, raw materials were scarce due to shut down suppliers and shipping delays. In true problem-solver fashion, manufacturers adjusted their supply chains. Similarly, these companies are beginning to change where they find labor.

Manufacturers with international production have set their sights on returning to the U.S. or Canada. In February 2020, over half said they wanted to make a move. Within five months, that number increased to nearly seven in ten companies.

As the trend of “reshoring” rises quickly, companies may face hiring demands in different locations. We see some setting up different background check packages based on the candidate’s location. There are fewer questions about which searches to order with this approach. It also creates consistent hiring practices for each location. 

One thing is sure. Consumers will always be buying. And that means that the need for skilled and experienced manufacturing labor will always exist. As one of the largest sectors in the U.S. economy, manufacturing shows signs of bringing offshored jobs home. Even as production priorities may shift, the need remains for experienced talent to get the goods made.

Want to learn more about background screening solutions for manufacturing? Book a meeting for more details ››