If you're looking for ways to recruit a highly qualified warehouse laborer, you're not alone. According to labor-insights provider Burning Glass, warehouse laborers are one of the most in-demand roles in the manufacturing and logistics industry — more than 700,000 job postings in the last 12 months, and that number is only expected to grow over the next decade.
So how can you appeal to top warehouse labor talent in this highly competitive job market in a simple yet interesting way? Here's a quick checklist that you can use when making your next hire:
So how should you put this checklist into action? Read on for simple approaches you can add to your recruitment strategy today.
Burning Glass found that it takes an average of 33 days to fill a warehouse laborer position, so if you're taking more time than that to bring on new hires for this role, revisit your internal processes to ensure you're not waiting too long to contact an interested candidate or delaying the decision-making process. After all, missing workers on your floor will mean reduced productivity and extra burden on other team members until the role is filled!
Here's a simple diagram you can use to identify where you can implement efficiencies.
If you don't know how competitive your current salary and compensation package is for warehouse laborers, Randstad's salary guide is a valuable resource for learning where your organization stands in the job market.
The national averages included in our salary guide make for a great starting point, but remember that compensation for warehouse laborers can differ greatly from one market to the next. So use our salary calculator to see the most up-to-date data on pay rates for warehouse laborers and other in-demand roles in your markets.
Work with your team to define the skills, training and experience that are vital to a successful candidate. And highlight the specialized skills you're looking for that will help candidates be attracted to your organization and stand out among the other applicants, which will be useful as you begin crafting the job description.
Qualifications can fall into two categories: the "must-haves" — baseline skills required for the warehouse laborer position, such as physical abilities and strong communication and organizational skills — and the "nice-to-haves" — like role-specific certifications or a driver's license.
To set you off on the right path, here are some of those specialized skills most often requested when looking for stand-out warehouse laborer candidates:
forklift operation
lifting ability
customer service
cleaning
packaging
basic mathematics
sorting
Writing an effective and eye-catching job description sounds difficult, but it can become quite formulaic if you know the basic things to focus on. Here are three easy ways to ensure you're attracting the best candidates with your job description.
don't write like a robot
Warehouse laborers are focused on efficiency and effectiveness, so be clear about the hours, amount of physical work expected and the team structure. The job is physically demanding and requires diligence and safety awareness, so be sure to mention the ways your encourage trust among employees, which will give them the peace of mind they need knowing they can go home safely to their families every night.
show how this job is meaningful
Warehouse laborers are very organized and methodical, but they also want their job to feel rewarding and valuable to the organization. They'll want to know if the job is fast-paced with clear goals in place and whether there's room for advancement, perhaps to a warehouse manager position or other leadership roles.
Job seekers also don't want to be seen as just another cog in the machine. Show them how their role is vital to helping a company make, process and store their products, and convey that they're an important part of making sure customers receive what they expect, when they expect it.
make it easy to skim
Don't write the job description like a high school essay with an expected word count. Warehouse laborers are very organized and have exceptional time-management skills. So if they feel like they have to decipher what you're trying to say, their interest won't last for long.
Using short paragraphs and bullet points make the text easier to read and more visually engaging. And write in the active voice, not the passive voice, so they feel like they're already part of your team.
For more in-depth assistance with the writing process, be sure to check out our guide to writing highly effective job descriptions.
With growth in the manufacturing space showing no signs of stopping, the need for skilled workers and managers is making hiring more competitive than ever. That means employers will be feeling even greater pressure to find — and retain — the best talent out there.
Here are some key hiring trends to keep in mind as you embark on your hiring journey:
Opportunities for warehouse laborers will continue to grow as warehouses increase headcount, mainly due to rising demand from e-commerce.
With the tech boom driving growth, employers are looking for candidates who possess traditional trade skill sets, plus the technical savvy needed in today's digital world. Employers must act fast if they want to stay productive as innovations continue to disrupt the space.
Cities with tech hubs continue to attract manufacturing operations, so it's no surprise that California has the highest concentration of warehouse laborer job openings in the past 12 months, followed by Texas and Ohio.
While there are a number of ways to find the best warehouse laborers for your organization, you can take some of the hiring burdens off your shoulders by working with a staffing firm with deep expertise in the manufacturing and logistics industry. The need for qualified warehouse laborers in a highly competitive, tech-driven industry is only going to increase over the coming years, so gaining access to a nationwide network of top talent — screened, vetted and available on-demand — can make all the difference.
Get in touch with the manufacturing and logistics experts at Randstad today to get one step closer to finding your next great warehouse laborer. Or head on over to our Find Employees portal to start getting to know our large pool of screened and vetted warehouse laborers today.