From the Editor

This week’s featured article by Anand Subbaraj is about one of the biggest challenges in field service and manufacturing: the growing talent gap.

But growing talent gaps have been persistent for years, and they’ve impacted multiple industries, professions, and job levels. Lack of digital and tech skills are impacting other traditional industries like logistics and healthcare that are struggling to hire tech talent.

Skilled trades shortage abound for electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, and other skilled trades who are in short supply, particularly in construction and infrastructure projects.

Beyond technical and other measurable work skills, there’s a lack of leadership and soft skills out there today. Managers and team leads with emotional intelligence, adaptability, and conflict resolution skills are in high demand.

And the list goes on, making recruiting and hiring even more difficult. In his article, Anand highlights new competencies businesses and workers need to develop, including:

• Digital literacy: Understanding and employing manufacturing software, AI-driven processes, and IoT (Internet of Things) applications.

• Data analytics: Leveraging data insights to optimize production, supply chain management, and predictive maintenance.

• Robotics & AI integration: Operating, maintaining, and programming automated systems.

• Soft skills: Leadership, problem-solving, and adaptability to navigate an evolving work environment.

Let’s get to work! We’ve got a lot of it to do.

This week’s newsletter also includes more new recruiting articles to help you navigate today, a new candidate experience case study, a new batch of recruiting and hiring news links, free webinars to register for, and we hope you join us for our upcoming ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit April 29-30.

Let me know if you’ve got any news to share. Thank you for reading!

—Kevin Grossman, VP of Research & Editorial

Email me: Editor

Featured Article

Bridging the Talent Gap in Manufacturing & Field Service: Workforce Management and Upskill

The time to act is now—by investing in people today, we can secure the future of the industry for generations to come.

More Recruiting & Sourcing Articles

Recruiting / HR

People-Oriented Cultures Don’t Win – And Here’s Why by Dr. Jessica Kriegel

Companies that win aren’t necessarily the ones that are the nicest—they’re the ones that can adapt, pivot, and align their people with their strategic goals.

Why Do Women Bully Women at Work? by Jim Stroud

Dealing with bullying from other women at work can be challenging, but there are strategies that can help.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles – the Challenges of Commuting for the Disabled by Raghav Singh

Great recruiters thrive on knowledge, and that knowledge is obtained through process.

Sourcing

More soon!

Candidate Experience

2024 CandE Case Studies will be released weekly and here are the latest:

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Alliance Technical Group

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Arup

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (new)

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Delaware North

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Northwell Health

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Room & Board

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Schneider Electric

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – Sunrun

• CandE Benchmark Research Case Study – US Pharmacopeia

All the latest 2024 Global CandE Research that explores the candidate experience journey for over 230,000 candidates around the world, from pre-application to onboarding. The latest insights, best practices + more!

The 2025 CandE Benchmark Research Program Now Open

The annual CandE Benchmark Research Program helps you and your organization measure and understand your overall candidate experience ratings from pre-application to onboarding.

Each year the CandE Benchmark Research Program recognizes those participating employers with the highest candidate experience ratings with our coveted CandE Awards.

The deadline to complete all steps is August 31. Register today to get started!

Other Recruiting, Hiring, and Business News

• Has the Decline of Knowledge Work Begun?

• The Generative AI Revolution: Reshaping the Skills Landscape for Modern Recruiters

• Work Culture in an Era of Mass Layoffs

• U.S. Hiring, Quits and Layoffs Were Steady in February

• U.S. Factory Activity Retreated in March on Tariff Concerns

• Uncertain Economy Adds to Recruitment Challenges

• In the Rush to Hire AI Talent, Companies are Rushing Too Fast, Survey Finds

• From Cost Control to Culture: CFOs Shift Strategies for Retaining IT Talent

• A Hiring Binge Abroad

• ‘It’s a bloodbath’: Massive wave of job cuts underway at US health agencies

• UBS informs Italian unions of plans to cut a third of its jobs in the country

Upcoming Webinars

When Candidates Use AI: Identifying Authentic Talent in an AI-Driven World

April 15, 2025 | 2:00 PM EDT | 1 Hour

Navigate the rise of AI in hiring as you learn to spot red flags, assess real talent, and set smart guidelines for ethical AI use in recruitment.

Conferences

ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit — April 29-30, 2025 in Las Vegas, NV

RIS Is Looking Good!

The ERE Recruiting Innovation Summit is committed to TA leaders, recruiters, and sourcers – to help them understand what comes next for talent acquisition and to build relationships that matter. We’ve put together quite the agenda, so check it out!

And because we've added karaoke, you can sing like everybody's watching! Because we will be!

We'll see you there! Register today here!