How To Hire Skilled General Laborers

General laborers are vital to many industrial companies. More often than not, recruiters leave no stone unturned when looking for them. 

With a tightening labor market though, more and more companies are having a difficult time finding the right people with the right skills to fill vacant positions for their upcoming projects. 

Nowadays, they have to find creative approaches in addition to traditional methods to get the people they need.

What Are the Responsibilities of General Laborers?

General laborers take on a variety of tasks including cleaning and inspecting equipment, checking products, shipping, loading, receiving, documenting work, and so much more. 

To be more specific, their tasks on-site include:

• Putting together and taking apart temporary structures
• Operating and caring for construction equipment and machines
• Helping equipment operators, carpenters, and other skilled labor when necessary
• Prepping construction sites by cleaning obstacles and hazards
• Performing site clean-up
• Assisting craft workers
• Removing, filling, or compacting earth

While these may seem like common skills and easy work, they actually require great attention to detail, a lot of physical strength, and safety consciousness. More than that, general laborers might have to work up to 16 hours a day in harsh or dangerous conditions like extreme cold or tight spaces. They might also have to work with dangerous equipment and hazardous building materials.

It's a tough job that requires the right types of skills and the right person to perform the job properly, efficiently, and safely. It's important to know how to find qualified, skilled laborers.

Challenges in Hiring Skilled General Laborers

Hiring the right people with the knowledge and needed technical skills leads to better operations for any industrial company. Hiring the wrong person, on the other hand, leads to increased liabilities and risks, and reduces productivity.

Finding good general laborers today is not easy though. A survey revealed that over 90% of contractors, builders and managers have found it challenging to find enough skilled construction workers to fill their vacant positions.

In addition, a report by CNBC noted that this labor shortage has more implications than just a lack of people to get the work done. 

Many young adults are geared more towards pursuing college degrees than exploring the construction trades. With less young people refreshing the workforce, the industry is seeing an aging pool of workers. In addition to that, companies are facing gender and skilled-labor gaps. The few young workers that do join are mostly men and even then they might not have the proper training or certifications.

As a result, the construction industry has been forced to become more creative with its hiring process.

Traditional Route of Hiring

Many hiring methods used by other industries are still being used by the construction industry as well.

This includes:

• Displaying vacancy signs for openings for construction laborers outside their offices or sites
• Publishing ads in newspapers or community journals
• Publishing online ads
• Hiring traditional recruitment agencies to do the job

While these methods have been around for a long time, they may not be as effective as before, especially now that the labor market is getting tighter for these positions. Even if you do manage to hire a few well-qualified workers these downsides still apply:

• An increased overhead cost
• A higher rate of employee turnover since many of the recruits are likely to leave
• Uncommitted employees whose work attitude may not align with the organization's goals
• Limited success in finding the right skilled personnel
• A protracted hiring process

Effective Ways to Hire Skilled General Laborers

To adapt to the current market, construction companies need to find new ways to attract labor. The good news is that there are still many ways to nail down a good and skilled general labor workforce.

Here are some tips:

1. Contract a Post Construction Building Solutions Company.

Industrial staffing agencies already have a database of available general workers for companies to hire for their projects as needed. They have skilled workers who are experienced in activities such as construction, welding, carpentry, landscaping, and so much more. They also have access to large contracts and staff pools across both public and private sector clientele.

If you're in need of skilled and efficient general laborers, A Production Building Solutions can help find them for you. They get the right people for the job. This includes experienced, equipment-certified, trained, and ready-to-go general laborers.

2. Adopt an Apprenticeship Program

Apprenticeship programs are a great way to get skilled talent, aligned with the organization's goals. With these programs, companies can train workers to get up to par with industry standards and become well-rounded workers with vital teamwork skills to help elevate the company. Although there is initially a cost in creating and running an apprenticeship program, companies will reduce hiring costs by eliminating the search. Additionally, this will guarantee them loyal and highly skilled general workers.

3. Advertise Upcoming Projects at Job Fairs

Job fairs offer a great opportunity to find skilled individuals actively looking for a job. This setting is a great opportunity for companies to match their hiring needs with active recruiting periods. For those with apprenticeship programs in place, job fairs are ideal events to attract young people who want to explore their choices. 

4. Try Hiring from New Demographics

To answer the problem of the dwindling pool of potential hirees, look outside the traditional demographic. Qualified talent can be found in nontraditional groups like veterans, women, or the previously incarcerated. Companies could tap into trade associations to make those first connections. After that, they can rely on or even encourage their new general laborers to spread the word among their social circles.

5. Upgrade and Present Something Different from Your Competitors

Just like in many other industries, one way to attract great workers to the company is to differentiate it from its competitors and offer something the others aren’t. This may come in the form of offering better pay, job training or additional training, enrollment in an apprenticeship, and a benefits plan. This is especially important now given the competitive environment of hiring for industrial labor.

6. Online Recruitment Platforms

Online recruitment platforms operate much like traditional recruitment agencies. The difference is that they connect with applicants online.

The application process is mostly done online. By leveraging the power of the Internet, they can attract applicants from large sections of the labor industry. Interviews can then be done via phone calls or video calls depending on the employer's requirements.

How Do I Find the Best?

Our years of experience in the construction industry will provide the general laborer workforce you need to drive your project to perfection. With your understanding of how important it is to get the right skilled general laborers for your job, let A Production Building Solutions put you in touch with the people you need.

Use the best and be the best: contact us today!