AS: It seems, a lot of manufacturers traditionally focus their recruitment efforts within, the local communities, within their local labor markets. What do you think they're maybe missing by just taking that approach and how kind of your solutions of thinking more broadly about where talent can come from?

CM: I think the biggest thing is the power of, kind of the, I mean, let's call it the snowball effect. It’s like if you start with a small group of people from Puerto Rico, and I'm using that example because that's what I know best, right? But you recruit a small group of people from Puerto Rico, maybe you start with six, and then, within a year, that could turn into 30 because everyone's telling their friends and they like it and everyone's learning. And before you know it, you have a whole community of people from a different culture. But the same thing could go for, you know, a client trying to recruit, I mean, I've heard of people recruiting ex-convicts or refugees or, yeah, refugees, ex-convicts. There's all different types of unique recruiting options, but I just think you really need to put the effort into it. And that's what I've seen. The clients that really put effort into these types of things end up seeing the results. And it's not the type of thing like whatever unique recruiting source you're trying to do, it's not like it's not going to work if you just put 20% effort in and hope that it works out and give up after two months. I mean, these are long-term things. And kind of the phrase that I tell a lot of my clients is this type of recruiting option It's kind of like the stock market. You know, the stock market goes up and down, up and down. But if you stick with it, you're going to have a lot of benefits and growth at the very end. And that's kind of similar to this type of recruiting option, in my opinion. You know, you see some it might be up and down. You might have a few setbacks, but if you stick with it, it's going to be extremely valuable.

AS: What motivates these job seekers to leave Puerto Rico for manufacturing jobs stateside? What are they looking for from their employer? Maybe also just beyond pay.

CM: Yeah, well, Puerto Rico is a beautiful island. Have you been?

AS: No, I've never been.

CM: It's a beautiful island, but you know, it's been affected in many ways by, you know, the hurricanes and some political stuff and poor, you know, poor economy. I mean, their economy does run heavily on tourism, but the pay there is, for a similar job that might get, for a job that you could get paid for here in the States, a similar job there might be $9, $10 an hour. So, pay is one of the biggest ones. And also just, inflation in Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico is becoming pretty expensive. So, because of all the tourism, because a lot of mainland Americans are moving there for tax benefits. And so its real estate is expensive. So, a lot of people are just looking for kind of a new opportunity, new beginning. And more importantly, I think the biggest answer would be a consistent and sustainable job opportunity. Because in Puerto Rico, a lot of people might get a job and then like that company does cutoffs or there's so many people looking for work in Puerto Rico that if you make one tiny mistake, they can say, well, we're going to lay you off and hire someone else. And so I think there's just not as many long-term sustainable opportunities in Puerto Rico. And in the States, we have that.

AS: Do you have any insight to how retention is working at the companies that you work for? You know, what do you see separates employers that can successfully retain the relocated workers from those that might be struggling?

CM: Yeah, I mean, the biggest one is it all starts with training, training and orientation. I mean, setting expectations, that is the biggest thing. Excuse me, setting expectations from the very beginning. So having a training and orientation, dotting your I's, crossing your T's, really important. And then understanding that there's a human aspect to this. You know, you're helping relocate someone from a faraway place. Yes, they are American citizens, but sometimes they might not speak English. Maybe they've never been outside of the island of Puerto Rico before. Maybe they're used to a different work culture. And so just understanding that there is this human aspect and being empathetic to that, I think that's really important. So my most successful clients are the ones that are patient and flexible and understanding, but also accommodating and, you know, really trying to, trying to avoid those misunderstandings and doing as much as they can. And if a misunderstanding does come up, assessing it and learning from it.

AS: What insights have you noticed as someone who, you know, has been working closely with employers and job seekers regarding the overall state of the U.S. labor force? Are there any trends that make you optimistic? Are there any trends that concern you? Is there anything you want to bring up?

CM: I mean, obviously AI is a big topic, so everyone knows that. I think that would be the biggest concern and I'm a big, I hope for the for the well-being of our workforce. It doesn't matter if you're you know what position you have, but just AI is kind of taking over and I'm really hope that humans can continue to have the opportunities to work to continue to live a good life. And then I think the other thing is just. We all see it. I mean, a lot of people, a lot of young, the younger workforce just might not want to work as hard now. I mean, they might not want to get their hands dirty as much and they might not appreciate these types of jobs, but manufacturing, landscaping, construction, these are great careers. And sometimes you start at the lower end and you move your way up. You might get an entry level job, but if you stick with it, you learn the industry, you end up having a great career. And I think that's, you know, with just the way technology and social media, I mean, a lot of younger people in the workforce now just want things like this, right? So, they need to be a little more patient to get that career advancement.

AS: And lastly, I wanted to ask if you were, you know, advising a manufacturing CEO who expects these labor challenges to remain a major issue, you know, through the next 5-10 years. What workforce strategies would you tell them to prioritize today?

CM: I mean, I would say stepping out of your comfort zone and really just slowing down and really looking at why people are leaving and really taking the time to connect with your workforce and like I said, avoid misunderstandings and anything you can do to make them appreciate, make the workforce feel appreciated. I mean, at the end of the day, I think that's probably it. You know, it's making the workforce feel appreciated and not just like a like a worker and a number, but as a person and as a valued employee. You know, that's one of the biggest things that a lot of the workers, the recruits that I get, some of their feedback is like, ‘Oh man, like I just feel like they just, you know, they just care about their profit and they just want to work, work, work me. And you know, there's no connection and communication.’ And I think that could definitely be avoided by showing appreciation and slowing things down.

About the Podcast
Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers from chemical producers to automakers to machine shops can listen for critical insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to best run facilities to reach operational excellence.

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