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If you have already gained experience in blue collar recruiting, you know that it can often be like a rocky road through a dense jungle. Searching for and finding qualified specialists in craft and technical professions poses its own challenges — and you know them all too well: From the difficult regional search to the dilemma of high-volume recruiting. In 2023 alone, 1.93 million blue-collar jobs were vacant!1 So let's take a deeper look and see how we can successfully overcome the hurdles of blue collar recruiting.
What is blue collar recruiting?
Blue collar recruiting, also known as recruiting skilled workers for manual work, is a recruitment strategy that focuses on finding and selecting employees from craft and technical professions. The term “blue collar” comes from the traditional blue workwear worn by workers in these professional fields. In German-speaking countries, blue collar workers are often also referred to as industrial technical employees or production and logistics specialists.
Which occupational groups belong to the blue collar sector?
The Blue Collar professional groups are diverse and include:
- Craftsmen (e.g. electricians, locksmiths, plumbers)
- Technicians (e.g. machine operators, production workers)
- Drivers (e.g. professional drivers)
- Construction workers
- warehouse workers
- Retail personnel (e.g. cashiers, branch employees)
- restaurateurs (e.g. cook, service staff)
- Nursing staff (e.g. geriatric nurse, nurse)
Millions of vacant positions are waiting for their heroes
The commercial labor market in Germany is the vibrant core of a diverse work landscape. More than three quarters of all employees in Germany work here. However, this sector poses a noticeable challenge: the high shortage of qualified specialists. But where does this deficit come from? Of course, there is no easy answer — the shortage of skilled workers results from a multi-faceted interplay of various factors. According to a survey by forsa on behalf of Onlyfy, 93% of German companies have difficulty finding enough workers. At the same time, 62% of companies see inadequate skills as a problem. These challenges arise as a result of various factors, such as demographic changes, high employee turnover, the growing trend towards academic careers among young talent, reservations about work that is perceived as stressful, and the new requirements of digitization.2
But the momentum doesn't stop there. Job mobility within this sector is impressive. According to a Xing study, between 37% and 48% of employees are planning to change employers.3 This turbulent working environment literally calls for strategies that not only close gaps, but also ensure the long-term retention of qualified specialists.
The blue collar perspective: wishes, annoyances and the search for the right job
When it comes to potential employers, Blue Collar employees have clear preferences. Job security (74%) is particularly important to them, followed by a higher salary (71%), on-time pay (70%) and an attractive location (69%). Overall, for 82% of respondents, salary and additional benefits are absolutely central when it comes to choosing a career. However, there are also stumbling blocks that Blue Collar employees criticize at companies: Low pay, lack of participation and poor working hours.
The sources of information for the Blue Collar workforce are diverse. Whether online job boards, print media and career websites, they are common platforms for active job seekers. Social media and out-of-home measures, on the other hand, play an important role, especially among latent job seekers. However, personal recommendation or the classic bulletin board in the company is and remains the be-all and end-all. Blue Collar workers primarily find their jobs here. The job search usually only takes place after work, via smartphone and after work during the week. These insights show that there is no ONE path to the perfect job, but that a mix of different channels ultimately leads to winning over the target group. What does that mean specifically for your recruiting?
What does that mean for the recruiting strategy?
If you've ever found yourself in the position of recruiting specialists for technical and industrial work with your team, then you're familiar with the unfortunate reality. The regional search for talent, management of high-volume recruiting and the permanent willingness of the target group to change are no easy tasks. However, blue collar recruiting is not just about filling positions, but about bridging the gap between the needs of the target group and the challenges that lurk on the road to successful recruiting. In particular, the costs that can arise from vacant positions for too long are likely to play a central role on your agenda as head of HR teams. It is therefore all the more important not only to attract specialists, but also to develop strategies that reduce open positions quickly and effectively and ensure long-term relationships with qualified specialists. Let's take a look at the challenges that everyone who wants to be successful in blue collar recruiting should know:
You should be prepared for these challenges:
Regional challenges:
Many locations, diverse circumstances: A large number of skilled workers are being sought at unattractive locations, such as rural or industrial areas. This is a particular challenge for employer branding, as different locations also require individual employer branding.
High volume recruiting:
93% of recruiters have difficulty finding new employees, primarily due to labor shortages and inadequate qualifications.4 This is where high-volume recruiting comes into play. The task? Fill a large number of positions quickly and efficiently. This requires not only speed, but also precision in order to identify the best candidates and reduce vacancy times.
Early fluctuation:
Inadequate induction processes can result in new employees leaving the company early. The high willingness to change, particularly in the case of marginal salary increases, also contributes to this problem and promotes fluctuation.
Visibility for hidden champions:
Even the so-called hidden champions have their problems. Small but well known in their niche, they struggle with visibility problems compared to larger, better-known competitors. These champions are mostly known for specifics in their fields, but rarely for their wide range of job opportunities.
Multilingual workforce:
Multilingualism in the workforce is also a challenge. Juggling between different languages and making sure everyone is on the same communication path requires more than just language skills. Career sites that can be used in multiple languages
Recruiters flying blind:
It is often unclear which measures will lead to recruiting success. Companies lack meaningful data that shows the influence of marketing activities, such as out-of-home measures, on the applicant rate.
5 tips for your blue collar recruiting
Perhaps you've already noticed that standard application processes don't always fit into the world of blue collar jobs. If these topics are your daily companions, then these tips are just the right thing for you.
1. Transparent career pages
Make your career page clear, simple and transparent. The target group knows what to focus on when looking for a job and you should also meet this demand. Provide authentic insights into everyday working life and emphasize your company's safety standards. Provide information about salary, benefits and continuing education opportunities. Your career page should be available in multiple languages and look good in the mobile view at any time.
2. Meaningful job advertisements
Formulate clear and easy-to-understand job descriptions, because that's exactly what blue collar workers are looking for. Communicate salary, benefits, working hours, place of work, safety standards, and career and continuing education opportunities. Use visual elements and provide authentic insights into the corporate culture with videos or pictures that show the team. 41% of Blue Collar employees want the opportunity to contact recruiters before applying, so you should always name suitable contacts in your job ad.5
3. Easy application options
Look for a simple application process that is easy to carry out from a smartphone to meet the needs of 44% of Blue Collar employees.6 One-click or WhatsApp applications, for example, are suitable for this purpose, using tools such as JobShop by talentsconnect are easy to implement. Also remember: Your cover letter and resume were yesterday — every third party wants to refrain from using them when it comes to applying for a new job. So consider the length of your application form and use as few mandatory fields as possible.
4. Targeted channel mix
A well-thought-out mix of channels is the core of the recruiting strategy. With a mix of online and offline channels as well as peer recruiting, it works to recruit commercial technical employees. So rely on the recommendations of your own employees, use WhatsApp and social media for direct interaction and create visibility through out-of-home measures. Optimize your job ads for Google for Jobs and increase your reach with multi-posting tools. With this dynamic combination, you are sure to attract the attention of the target group.
5. Effective pre- and onboarding
Effective pre- and onboarding is crucial to reduce early turnover in your company and generate rapid productivity. According to a recent talent onboarding study by Haufe, 36% of companies have already experienced new employees quitting between signing the contract and the first day of work without even showing up at work.7 To prevent this, you should provide candidates with all important information in advance. This includes not only formal aspects such as contract details, but also personal insights such as team structures and contact persons.
With these tips, you can make the right adjustments and optimize your recruiting for blue collar workers in a targeted manner. If you want to dive even deeper into the subject matter and find out more tips for successful blue collar recruiting, book one of our audits. Here we analyse your blue collar recruiting strategy, calculate your talent acquisition costs, give you benchmarks from other companies and work together to develop concrete recommendations for a cost-effective recruiting strategy.
Are you more looking for an exchange? No problem: Attend one of our free masterclasses at Talentsconnect Academy. Here you will get real practical knowledge, specific recommendations for your recruiting and have the chance to have an interactive exchange with other HR experts.
sources:
1 https://persoblogger.de/2023/04/03/was-sich-im-blue-collar-recruiting-aendern-muss
2 https://onlyfy.com/de/downloads/whitepaper-rekrutierung-verschiedener-berufsgruppen/
4 (ibid)
5 (ibid)
6 (ibid)
Photo by Pickawood upon Unsplash
