Considering the shortage of skilled labor across multiple sectors of the economy, it is in your best interest to find the best talent now, while you can, and the right work to keep your millennial workforce engaged.
By Ellie Matama
According to Mike Rowe, the former television host of the show “Dirty Jobs,” America has 3 million jobs available, that do not necessarily require a degree. And yet, there is a dearth of skilled laborers in the U.S. because no one seems to want these jobs.
Speaking to the Commerce, Science and Transportation committee in 2011, Rowe stated that he believed that we needed, “A national PR campaign for skilled labor—like a big one.”
According to the America’s Skilled Workers Report by Center for America, which is based on the Bureau of Labor statistics 2012 forecasts, by 2020, there will be a shortfall of 10 million workers in the manufacturing-related industries alone. As matters stand right now, the average age of a skilled worker is 55.
You would think that in the wake of Trump optimism and an increase in investments in the U.S. that this would be a great thing for everyone. However, that is not necessarily the case—at least not if there is an even bigger labor challenge in the country.
There is a looming problem that employers of the future have to contend with: millennial workers. It does not matter which expert you ask, all of them will tell you that the millennial generation has changed and will continue to change how people work.
The PwC report Millennials at Work Reshaping the Workplace shows that Millennials will make up 50 percent of the global workforce by 2020. Now, if it were any other demographic, this would be great news for companies looking for fresh blood.
Millennials, however, are not just any other demographic. Their views of the world are confounding to say the least. They have not been dubbed as the “job hopping generation” for nothing.
You need to attract and retain these people in order to meet your labor demands for the long term. This is where the challenge lies. Millennials are more interested in pursuing college degrees than working in blue-collar jobs. In fact, they are on track to become the most educated generation in America.1
There is just one big problem: there are not enough jobs to accommodate them all. Research shows that only 33 percent of future jobs will require a degree.2 Meanwhile, 66 percent of high school students enroll in higher education. And yet there is this large skills gap that Mike Rowe keeps on talking about. There is no one to fill it but the Millennials. Therefore, it is the responsibility of businesses in the waste and recycling industry to step up and find the right talent. But where do you start? How should you go about attracting millennial talent?
#1: Go to Where the Millennials Are and Toot Your Own Horn
If you think that Millennials are going to come to you, it is going to be a very long wait. You are going to have to go to them. And then you are going to blow your trumpet about the available job opportunities as hard as you can.
You need to start marketing available jobs via social media.3 About 80 percent of job seekers use social media to start their job search. That is not all—45 percent of job seekers use their mobile devices to search for work opportunities. So, if you do not have a mobile-optimized Web site and social media accounts on which you post available jobs, you are already losing out.
You also need to actively participate in job fairs that attract young people looking to learn about their options. If there is an opportunity for you to speak to high school and college students about what your company offers them in the way of jobs, do it. You can always work with other companies in your industry to reach out to local institutions in order to talk to your potential workers of the future.
Are you aware that 20 to 50 percent of people are undecided about what they want to do as they enter college?4 Did you also know that 75 percent of college students will change their majors at least once before they graduate?
What this means is that there is a strong chance that once you present Millennials with alternatives to their college choices, some would be willing to give your industry options a chance. However, you will never know until you reach out to them.
#2: Offer Good Pay and Great Perks
In terms of college loans, Millennials are probably the most indebted generation in existence. According to one College Investor 2016 report, Millennials who graduated must deal with an average debt of $37,172. Perhaps that may explain why many people in these demographic would be willing to leave their current employers if they were offered better pay.
According to Gallup, 60 percent of Millennials are open to a new job opportunity. The 2016 Staples Workplace Index shows that 29 percent of Millennials cite a higher salary as the biggest contributor to workplace loyalty. Offering them the chance to earn good money may be a great way to attract their attention.
But that is not all Millennials want in the way of money. They will scrutinize the retirement and health insurance perks on offer. A 2017 Fit Small Business Report shows that 34 percent of Millennials would consider a company that offers good healthcare perks.
In addition, a new Defined Contribution study by J.P. Morgan Asset Management shows that under-30 Millennials believe that employers should help them make better investment choices. About 69 percent would prefer professional managers to deal with asset allocation issues.
So, one way to attract Millennials is to lay on the table the payment options you offer, as well as healthcare and retirement plans. If you fall short in this area, now is the time to implement great perks that you can use to attract and retain the best millennial talent.
#3: Offer Flexibility
While the waste and recycling industry is traditional in the way it operates currently, that may have to change if companies are to attract the best talent available. Many Millennials are having none of that five-days-per-week job. If anything, they want it all: a stable job and flexibility. Based on the 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey:
- 16.8 percent of Millennials consider work-life balance to be very important
- 11 percent would like remote working opportunities as well as flexible hours
These findings are in line with the 2013 Millennial Branding report that shows that 45 percent of Millennials will choose workplace flexibility over pay.
Granted, there are certain jobs that your company cannot decentralize, but that does not mean you cannot offer Millennials what they want to a certain extent. How about flex-time? Instead of the standard five 8-hour days, how about four 10-hour days for those who are interested? What about offering your office workers a chance to telecommute from home some of the time? You will definitely find it easier to attract very good talent when you offer flexibility over pay.
#4: Lay Out Your Career Advancement Options
From the very beginning, when you are in the process of appealing for new employees, you should implement career advancement strategies. A 2016 Gallup poll shows that 87 percent of Millennials are interested in career development.
Start by participating in apprenticeship programs and inviting young Millennials and those looking for a career change to join these programs. Offer decent pay and you may just outwit your competition. Remember, the talent supply pool is quite small.
You should also offer continuous training opportunities to help Millennials keep up with the changes in the industry. If you can partner with other institutions to sponsor existing employees and have them pursue further education in exchange for additional years of work, then that is even better. It will increase not just your talent attraction rates, but also your retention rates as well.
It is also important that you let people know from the very beginning that you provide chances for your best talent to lead and advance. And these opportunities should be available to all.
Additionally, be ready to implement technological changes as part of your talent attraction strategy. The millennial generation is very tech-savvy. The PwC Report on how Millennials are shaping the workplace goes on to show that:
- 78 percent of Millennials believe that access to technology that they like to use would make them more effective at work. Consequently,
- 59 percent of Millennials said that the employer’s provision of state-of-the-art technology was important when they were considering a job.
To put it simply, Millennials are in it to advance their own career development. If you do not provide them with the options to learn and use innovative equipment and software, then they will look elsewhere for those opportunities.
#5: Create and Advertise a Positive Work Culture and Socially-Responsible Brand
The Millennial generation is more conscious of its impact on the community than previous generations. This demographic is also very concerned about what businesses stand for. This can pose a challenge to businesses that have not taken the time to think about what it is that they believe in, stand for and support.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation 2012 Research Review on Millennials, this generation is the most diverse of all generations before it. At least 45 percent are interested in seeing affirmative actions implemented in the workplace. One Glassdoor survey report shows that 67 percent of job applicants consider a diverse workforce as an important issue.
It is also worth noting that 61 percent of Glassdoor users would first seek company reviews and ratings before applying for a job. They want to know what the company is about and how other employees feel about it.
For that reason, you may want to institute policies in place that prevent sexism and bullying. Around 49 percent of Millennials would not apply for a job in a company with a bad reputation even if they were unemployed.5 When you are already struggling to fill your vacancies, a reputation of that nature would be like the kiss of death that would prevent millennial talent from working for your company.
Also consider partnering with various institutions that support social causes near and dear to your heart. Instituting policies like hiring Veterans would appeal to Millennials in search of companies that they would be proud to work with.
The 2014 Glass Packaging Institute Report on the Millennials and their investments in Health and Environment shows that Millennials are very concerned with the environment. Eighty-three percent of them believed that small changes could make a big environmental impact. For that reason, you could also partner with environmentally-friendly nonprofits that are looking to save the planet from climate change. Causes of that nature would be right up your alley considering your business is all about waste management and recycling.
Find the Best Talent Now
Many of the same strategies listed above will be effective in not just attracting Millennials, but also retaining them if you are consistent in implementing them. Considering the shortage of skilled labor across multiple sectors of the economy, it is in your best interest to find the best talent now, while you can, and the right work to keep your millennial workforce engaged.
Ellie Matama is a Kenyan-based freelance writer. You can reach her via LinkedIn at https://ke.linkedin.com/in/elliematama.