Accelerate hiring key talent to deliver care and exceed patient satisfaction.
Attract skilled candidates, speed up hiring and grow expertise in your workforce.
Simplify recruiting finance and banking talent with a platform for hard-to-fill roles.
Build a talent pipeline that engages and drives your business forward.
See how diverse and global enterprises use iCIMS to employ millions, drive innovation and connect communities worldwide.
Learn how a beloved restaurant hires 40,000+ annually with a great candidate experience.
Uncover unique market insights, explore best practices and gain access to talent experts across our library of content.
View press releases, media coverage, the latest hiring data and see what analysts are saying about iCIMS.
Streamline your tech stack and take advantage of a better user experience and stronger data governance with ADP and iCIMS.
The combined power of iCIMS and Infor helps organizations strategically align their business and talent objectives.
Our award-winning partnership with Microsoft is grounded in a shared desire to transform the workplace and the hiring team experience.
Our partnership with Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG) supports the entire talent lifecycle by bringing frictionless recruiting solutions to UKG Pro Onboarding.
October 9, 2025 
14 min read
The global manufacturing industry faces new challenges, particularly in sourcing talent. As you navigate trade regulations and push toward shorter production runs, you may find that the talent you need is in short supply.
Perceptions of the manufacturing industry are shifting as seasoned workers retire and Generation Z enters the workforce. The result is a skills deficit and a talent shortage in specialized roles, making manufacturing recruitment highly competitive.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through manufacturing’s unique hiring challenges alongside actionable strategies to improve your recruitment process and find the talent you need today.
Key takeaways
The manufacturing workforce is diverse, with each function area possessing its own distinct set of skills, responsibilities, and contributions to the manufacturing process. Below are some of the most common areas of concern.
| Area | Definition | Example positions |
| Production | Transform raw materials into finished goods. | Assembly line worker, artisan, machine operator, production technician, CNC operator |
| Engineering and technical | Research, design, develop, and optimize production systems, machinery, and processes. | Manufacturing engineer, process engineer, mechanical engineer, CAD technician |
| Quality assurance and quality control | Develop and implement standardized processes, conduct inspections, and analyze product samples for inconsistencies and defects. | QA inspector, compliance specialist, quality auditor, document control specialist |
| Supply chain and logistics | Oversee the movement of materials and products throughout the production cycle. | Supply chain coordinator, logistics specialist, materials specialist, procurement specialist, warehouse worker |
| Maintenance facilities | Focus on preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, and repairs to minimize production downtime. | Maintenance technician, facilities technician, reliability engineer, maintenance planner, facilities manager |
The diversity in the manufacturing workforce requires nuanced recruiting approaches. For example, a line worker with limited access to a computer will likely appreciate mobile hiring experiences with minimal friction in completing the application.
Explore our infographic: Fill your specialized manufacturing roles, fast.
Manufacturing recruitment is fraught with challenges, including an aging workforce, skill shortages, and shifting perceptions, which significantly impact the ability to attract, develop, and retain a skilled workforce.
The current manufacturing workforce is aging quickly, with a significant portion nearing retirement age. According to data from McKinsey, the proportion of manufacturing employees over the age of 55 increased from about 10% in 1995 to around 25% in 2025.
This poses challenges in terms of knowledge transfer and succession planning as workers with advanced technical skills leave.
To mitigate this “brain drain,” take proactive measures by developing a hiring process that targets entry-level workers and provides them with training and mentorship opportunities to foster growth and skill development.
A majority of manufacturing companies (53%) indicate that a shortage of candidates with specialized skills is their main difficulty in production recruiting. Besides an aging workforce, intentional silos between manufacturing departments limit employees’ ability to learn new perspectives, expand their skills, or transition laterally into other areas of interest.
This lack of flexibility, combined with inadequate performance management and training opportunities, hinders growth and innovation, particularly in areas such as automation, data analytics, and advanced manufacturing processes.
Providing upskilling, reskilling, and other development pathways makes all the difference in retaining and preparing talent for future needs.
Curious how to use internal mobility strategies to your advantage? Discover how to correctly use internal mobility to maximize talent ROI.
Automating production processes leads to innovation but also raises concerns about job displacement. A 2023 report by McKinsey notes that nearly 12 million American workers may need to switch jobs by 2030 due to shrinking demand for their current roles, which has a significant impact on production workers.
That said, automation often creates new opportunities and roles that require a different set of skills and expertise. Proactive reskilling, retraining, and workforce development initiatives on the latest technologies are essential to keeping workforces engaged and harnessing the full potential of automation in manufacturing.
Some manufacturing plants are relocating to rural areas of the U.S. due to the availability of space and other financial incentives, according to a 2023 report by the Center for Manufacturing Research.
Still, 65.3% of rural manufacturers report that attracting skilled labor to these areas is their biggest labor force challenge. Retaining these workers is also tricky, with the annual turnover of rural manufacturing workers exceeding 50%.
Lack of childcare options, accessible transportation, access to quality healthcare, workforce diversity, and job security are among the main factors driving manufacturers’ reluctance to relocate and stay in rural areas.
Providing competitive workforce development and compensation packages are some ways to attract and retain workers in rural areas.
The manufacturing industry faces a competitive talent market from other sectors, including technology, healthcare, and finance. This competition exacerbates the challenges associated with skill shortages, necessitating innovative recruitment strategies to attract top talent.
Your recruiting team should differentiate your organization by highlighting competitive compensation packages, professional development opportunities, and a strong company culture.
Young workers hold a largely unfavorable opinion of manufacturing jobs. Only 14% of Generation Z, the youngest generation in the workforce, say they’d consider industrial work as a career.
This is mainly due to misconceptions about manufacturing jobs as “dead-end” careers with low pay, limited opportunities, and little flexibility. Several also cite safety concerns and lack of cultural fit as reasons to avoid these positions.
Some of these concerns are unfounded. For example, Glassdoor has an average total pay estimate of about $81,000 for the job title ‘Entry Level Manufacturing‘.
Overcoming this perception requires targeted recruitment marketing and rebranding efforts to highlight the diverse and rewarding career growth opportunities available in the manufacturing sector.
To attract and keep talent in the manufacturing business, provide strong compensation packages, increase workforce diversity, expand your recruitment marketing, remove stress from job offers, and invest in training opportunities.
According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, a third of blue-collar workers, including those in manufacturing, are not too satisfied or not at all satisfied with their pay, compared to 28% of other workers. This is because most find their pay doesn’t align with current cost-of-living expenses.
Craft a total rewards package that is competitive based on the role, level, and location. You can use outlets like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Indeed Salary Insights to research compensation ranges for different manufacturing positions.
Besides compensation, offering benefits like quality health insurance options, flexible schedules, child care stipends, commuter benefits, apprenticeships, advanced training, and tuition support are great differentiators for job seekers.
Manufacturers have long struggled to diversify their workforces. Negative stereotypes of manufacturing jobs as being low-skilled, dirty, and labor-intensive deter Gen Z and women from applying.
This is especially important for women. For example, in 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce found that while women make up approximately 47% of the total workforce, they comprise only about 30% of the 15.8 million people employed in manufacturing industries, and only 1 in 4 manufacturing leaders is a woman.
Unconscious hiring biases during the application evaluation stage also play a role in stifling manufacturing recruitment diversity.
Effective employer branding strategies that showcase your commitment to diversity and inclusion, such as sponsoring employee resource groups, encourage diverse applicants to apply. Meanwhile, using DEI recruitment software to hide names and photos when sourcing candidates can be a great way to prevent bias during the application review process.
Recruitment marketing is the antidote to negative beliefs about manufacturing work. It illustrates your employer value proposition (EVP) to prospects and boosts your company’s reputation by maintaining high brand interest.
The best way to level up your recruitment marketing is through a candidate relationship management (CRM) system that improves the candidate experience. It offers features like:
Explore iCIMS Candidate Engagement and Employer Branding platforms to enhance your recruitment marketing efforts.
A serious job seeker is likely juggling multiple job opportunities from various manufacturing employers, each with their own timeline. That’s stressful for candidates and employers alike.
As an employer, your goal is to lock down candidates as quickly as possible. This is where the offer letter software, which automates this process, comes in handy. It cuts through red tape, making negotiations easier and faster.
The result? You’ll trim days off your recruitment process and beat the competition to the punch.
Get ahead of your competition by using our downloadable offer letter template to secure the best hire.
Your recruiting can be unparalleled, but that’s no advantage if your current employees are leaving just as fast.
Great recruiting starts internally with employee retention. This means allocating resources to training programs and fostering growth opportunities for engaged and motivated employees.
Consider some of the following employee development offerings that keep employees learning and ready for future needs in manufacturing:
Pro tip: Reach out to your local community to help with your employee development efforts. Partnering with industry associations or technical schools can help upskill existing employees with advanced credentials. They can also expand your talent pool with access to recent graduates.
Employers that can tap into the people’s pride for homegrown manufacturing and connect it to a modern, compelling employer brand put themselves in an excellent position to recruit the quality, diverse workforce they need today and for years to come.
This means highlighting modern, cutting-edge technologies, offering competitive compensation and benefits, fostering a strong company culture, taking pride in what you produce, supporting local communities, and prioritizing safety.
Today’s open roles may not necessarily become tomorrow’s. Building a pipeline of talent helps recruiting teams align their recruitment efforts with evolving business objectives, industry trends, and technological advancements.
Having qualified, interested talent on deck also mitigates the risks associated with talent shortages, succession planning, and unplanned turnover. Better still, by recruiting for future roles today, recruiters buy themselves time to nurture relationships and establish their organizations as employers of choice.
The most effective job descriptions go beyond itemizing the responsibilities and qualifications of a role. They tell a story that excites your ideal candidates.
By infusing creativity and authenticity into job descriptions, employers create a memorable impression and generate more applications.
In other words, a well-crafted job description conveys essential information about the role while also saying something about the organization’s culture, values, and employer brand.
For tips and tricks on making your job description stand out, explore How to write a job description that brings in high-quality candidates.
Sticking to one sourcing method narrows your talent pool, leaving qualified talent to be snatched up by your competition. While job board sites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter are helpful, you’ll likely find top manufacturing talent using more nuanced approaches, like:
Manufacturing recruiters work in two different worlds: one with high-volume roles and the other with hyper-specialized positions where the candidate pool is smaller. They need recruiting solutions that can fill both.
To get the most out of your manufacturing recruiting, you need an applicant tracking system (ATS) that supports high-volume hiring, sources niche talent, creates a great candidate experience, and moves applicants with diverse skills, backgrounds, and credentials through the hiring process quickly.
iCIMS ATS adapts to your manufacturing recruitment needs, even for the most complex organizations.
Take U.K.-based TT Electronics. Faced with a shortage of engineering candidates, TT Electronics used iCIMS to attract more talent with niche skill sets, streamline its recruitment process, and save £170,000 ($228,520 USD) annually on recruiting agency costs.
Learn more about the business case for a focused and inclusive ATS.
Once candidates enter your hiring pipeline, the next step is to keep them invested in the process, even if they don’t make it to the final stage.
Consistent and relevant communication with candidates goes a long way to developing a positive company image and even kick-starts word-of-mouth campaigns that inspire future candidates to apply. It also grows your talent pool, allowing you to re-engage talent like silver medalists at a moment’s notice for future roles.
Enterprise-grade CRM or recruitment software is the best way to maintain relationships with candidates.
For example, iCIMS CRM enables you to send automated emails or texts to candidates regarding their application status, as well as personalized content, such as newsletters, based on their career interests.
iCIMS Video Studio software, meanwhile, enables you to showcase authentic, day-in-the-life videos from current staff on your career site, keeping them excited about the role.
The final step is creating an onboarding experience that enhances the new hire’s excitement following a successful job search by reinforcing the culture and mission that initially attracted them. The result is engaged employees who are equipped for success. This leads to longer tenures and happier, healthier employees.
That’s great for candidates. But, what about you? When you use onboarding software, you boost onboarding efficiency and save money by reducing time spent on administrative tasks.
Learn more about effective onboarding with these resources:
Hiring your next skilled manufacturing worker shouldn’t require the expertise of a process engineer. The right manufacturing recruitment software streamlines the process by integrating recruitment marketing, applicant tracking, and onboarding to provide a seamless and efficient experience for recruiters.
iCIMS all-in-one software is the answer to the challenges facing manufacturing recruitment by helping you engage directly with talent, diversify sourcing, and streamline hiring processes.
Want to see how it works? Schedule a free demo to see it in action.
Alex is well-versed in content and digital marketing. He blends a passion for sharp, persuasive copy with creating intuitive user experiences on the web. A natural storyteller, Alex highlights customer successes and amplifies their best practices.
Alex earned his bachelor’s degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University before pursuing his master’s at Montclair State University. When not at work, Alex enjoys hiking, studying history and homebrewing beer.
