Contract staffing recruiters in engineering/manufacturing can look forward to a good 2014 as staffing in the sector is expected to outpace service sector hiring.

Having added 500,00 jobs since the recession, manufacturing growth is expected to continue with manufacturers planning to increase hiring by 2.4% in the New Year, according to ERE.net  A big reason for this growth is re-shoring, an emerging trend in which manufacturers bring work previously off-shored back to the United States.

Engineering/Manufacturing always ranks among the top contract staffing industries, according to Top Echelon Contracting placement statistics.  In 2013, it accounted for 15% of our contract placements. We are now noticing even more calls from recruiters who want place contractors in this field, particularly engineers.

Our manufacturing placements over the past 6 months have included:

• Controls Engineers
• Design Engineers
• Mechanical Design Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Operations Consultants
• Project Engineers

Contractors are perfect for this industry, which experiences fluctuating demand. Contracting allows companies to match their workforce to their workload because they can quickly add contractors during busy times and just as quickly ramp when demand slows. This allows them to escape the negative press that accompanies layoffs. 

Finding the right workers with the right skills is getting harder. While some believe that it's because manufacturers are too picky and unwilling to train workers, there are real issues that are making hiring more difficult. Manufacturing automation has changed the nature of the positions.  They now require skills many experienced workers don't have. Meanwhile, fewer young workers are pursuing manufacturing careers.  If manufacturers truly want to do more hiring, they will need recruiters like you to find the proverbial needles in the haystack.