Hiring managers in the heavy industry, listen up! We’ve all been in this frustrating situation at one time or another.
- You’ve got a highly qualified candidate in your sights.
- They’ve aced their interviews and cleared all the screening hurdles.
- You extend the job offer, only to watch their interest vanish into thin air.
More often than not, they’ve already “landed a gig” elsewhere. So, why do your job candidates lose interest?
Let’s dive into some strategies to keep them engaged in 2024.
The Need for Highly Qualified Candidates in Heavy Industry 2024
In heavy industry, the demand for highly qualified candidates remains sky-high, especially as companies shift into high gear to meet the demands of the green transition worldwide. It’s not just your company that’s on the hunt for these exceptional individuals; competitors from diverse economic sectors are moving aggressively to snatch them up. Candidates, in turn, are hesitant to sour their fresh relationships by jumping ship too soon.
The mining industry alone has racked up some impressive HR statistics over the past few years, and other heavy industry sectors aren’t far behind when it comes to projected 2024 workforce demands.
According to the ABC, the Association of Contractors and Builders:
“The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 546,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet the demand for labor, according to a proprietary model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors.”
Employment growth in the Mining industry in the US up to 2022?
- The number of people employed in the Mining industry in the US increased 5% on average over the five years between 2017 and 2022.
- The average business in the Mining industry in the US now employs more workers than it did five years ago.
- Hydrocarbon-related activities generate an overwhelming share of the mining sector’s revenue. Accordingly, trends in these industries tend to dictate the performance of the entire sector.
- Energy exports have also greatly boosted miners’ performance.
- Despite losses experienced in 2020, sector-wide revenue has been growing at a CAGR of 3.9% over the past five years to total $944.0 billion, including a 10.0% decline in 2023 as commodity prices begin to normalize.
The Cement and Aggregates sectors face similar HR challenges.
According to the report Pathway to Commerical Liftoff Industrial Decarbonization by liftoff.energy.gov:
“Constraints in the construction workforce, particularly shortages of workers in skilled trades, could impede the scale-up of low-carbon technologies. It will be critical for the US to invest in job training (especially Registered Apprenticeships), intentional efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented populations, and other measures to build the workforce pipeline for these essential trades, not just for cement but for decarbonization of the economy and infrastructure buildout more broadly.
Growing and maintaining the skilled workforce needed to achieve climate and industrial strategy goals will be contingent upon creating good-paying jobs with opportunities for professional development and career advancement, as well as high safety standards. Success will require effective collaboration between industry, labor, worker-serving organizations, and government.”- Pathway to Commerical Liftoff Industrial Decarbonization
With such a competitive landscape, it’s vital to streamline your hiring process. Hiring in the mining sector alone is projected to increase from 59,000 back in 2017 by another 5% each year in 2023 and beyond. That’s a plethora of career opportunities for your potential professional candidates to explore elsewhere if you’re not on the ball.
Meeting Candidates’ Expectations
Candidates today expect prompt responses. Waiting for weeks without feedback is a major pet peeve for 57% of job seekers. They’re not just job-hopping; many seek to enhance their current life situations, whether it’s due to inadequate compensation or a job path that’s become static and doesn’t fulfill their needs.
Some candidates may find themselves between jobs, and the resulting economic stress leaves them with little patience for a lengthy hiring process. Timeliness is a key element in successful professional-level recruiting.
Leaving a Lasting Impression
Your company’s reputation matters. Candidates often hear glowing reviews from current employees or their recruiters. However, failing to provide timely responses can tarnish that reputation.
Candidates want to join a company that values their time. Leaving them hanging for weeks sends the opposite message. Even excessive rounds of interviews can be a turn-off since more than 41% of job seekers at all levels view more than two rounds of interviewing as a waste of time.
The High Cost of Delays
Delays in the hiring process not only frustrate candidates but also have a negative effect on your business. Prolonged vacancies lead to project delays and missed deadlines, piling on the High Cost of Vacancies in your organization. Moreover, you might end up settling for less qualified candidates, resulting in decreased efficiency and capability, some of the all-too-common disruptions of a bad hire in the mining industry, or any other sector for that matter.
Keeping Candidates Engaged
Highly qualified candidates abound at Resource Erectors. They stand ready to make an impact in heavy industry. To attract them, you must demonstrate that you value their potential and that your company provides a corporate culture of continuous improvement and competence that is worthy of their experience and efforts. Dawdling in the hiring process sends the opposite message.
Streamlining your hiring process benefits both your company and your future employees. You have open positions to fill, and dragging out the process only alienates the top-tier candidates. By optimizing your hiring process, you can swiftly onboard these exceptional individuals and give your business the competitive edge it needs.
If you’re searching for highly qualified candidates in the mining industry, reach out to us today. We can connect you with the talent you need while streamlining your hiring process. Don’t let great candidates slip through the cracks. Get in touch with Resource Erectors today so we can all get to work.
