Closing the Workforce Gap
The American Bakers Association (ABA) presented an update to the “Workforce Gap in the US Commercial Baking: Trends, Challenges and Solutions” during one of its management-focused education sessions at IBIE 2016.
As filling the workforce gap is a pressing issue faced by the industry in the US (a problem that Europe shares), Cory Martin, director, government relations with ABA, warns that the industry will fall behind when competing with other businesses if it doesn’t proactively address this growing concern.
In order to aggregate workforce data, the American Society of Baking (ASB) and ABA commissioned a study of the employment structure with the industry over the last year, in order to identify the exact problem that the US is facing in terms of the age gap. There are five generations currently active in the work field:
The (pre-1945) Greatest Generation, or “maturists”, constitutes 3% of the US workforce, while baby boomers (1945-1960), Generation X (1961-1980) and Generation Y (1981-1995) share balanced ratios of the workforce, with 33%, 35% and 29% respectively. Generation Z (1995+) is now entering the workforce and currently employed in either part-time jobs or apprenticeships.
The three generations of employees sharing workspace together have very different profiles in all aspects of their lives, which employers in the baking industry must address simultaneously. In addition, they have to be able to entice Generation Z to join the industry.
Generation X: The forgotten generation
Generation X experienced changes in social norms and postponed the more traditional aspects of their lives, such as marriage. They are the digital immigrants and remember “offline life”. They have had about seven career changes in their lifetime, compared to the baby boomers (the silent generation), whose main goal is job security and, as such, have had one job throughout their lives. Generation X’s aspiration is to achieve a work-life balance, while digital-native millennials favor freedom and flexibility: they work “with” a company and not “for” it, Martin explained. The generation we know very little about is Generation Z; we know they are entirely IT-dependent and aspire for security and stability. While the industry focuses its attention on engaging with the challenging millennials and getting to know Generation Z, it is Generation X that can be described as the forgotten generation in this context.
What does it all mean?
With three entirely different generations working side by side, there are a lot of differences in the workplace, says Martin. Working in a bakery, which means a 24/7 workflow, can make it difficult to ensure the work flexibility that millennials seek, or Generation X’s work-life balance.
The study commissioned by the ABA and ASB identified workforce gap areas, problems that have been growing over the last decade: maintenance/ engineering are areas that are affected the most, with 78% of responders indicating a high or severe shortage of staff, according to the speaker. Machine operators represent the skilled production area coming in second in this ranking, with 40% of responders indicating a high or severe employment problem. “This isn’t a millennial problem, this is a workforce problem across the spectrum,” Martin said.
Recruitment, training and retention
The most important challenge identified by the study (95% of responders) is branding: making bakery manufacturing appealing to qualified candidates. Embracing social media, the “language” of the two younger generations, is a solution that the industry needs to embrace in order to promote its brand, as well as reach out to high schools, junior colleges and trade schools, together with building partnerships with these local communities. This takes work, but the ROI on this has been phenomenal, says Martin.
Finding talent
Top strategies for attracting people into the business include taking part in local job fairs and creating relationships with campus-based recruiting programs. Partnering with educational institutions will also help candidates learn the manufacturing skills required by the job, as well as internships and apprenticeships through high school and holding company-specific job fairs.
You can read more in our print magazine European Baker & Biscuit (Sept/Oct)!