Exploring Skilled Labour Staffing Solutions

Skilled labour is in high demand but can be challenging to source for companies still relying on outdated staffing solutions. If a company wants to grow and succeed in today’s competitive business environment, it must attract and retain a strong workforce of well-trained and qualified employees.

Businesses need to take the initiative to secure the best talent for their organisation and take a proactive approach to their staffing strategies. Multiple staffing services are available for hiring skilled labour, including temporary, permanent and contingent staffing. Companies should approach staffing solutions in a consultative manner to find the most suitable one for their specifications.

Whether an organisation needs to fill positions for skilled tradespeople, or professionals like engineers, factory workers and general labourers, there are different options for businesses to achieve their needs while still being cost-effective.

This blog explores the different staffing solutions available for hiring skilled labour and how to choose the optimal solution that meets the organisations’ staffing requirements.

Unskilled vs skilled labour staffing solutions

When looking at workers’ levels of education, “unskilled” jobs only require a high school diploma or a position that can be filled by an individual who has mastered specific skills. On the other hand, skilled labour requires specific training, education and knowledge to perform more complex or technical jobs. It is common for companies to employ both types of employees (for example, on the assembly line), but they should match the required tasks to the necessary skill level.

Many businesses need people with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) backgrounds and higher specialised skills than the average staff member. Skilled labour positions offer high salaries, whereas an unskilled job might pay much less than the average wage.

Companies that hire unskilled workers to do jobs that require skilled labour will find themselves unable to perform at a maximum level of production and efficiency. Employers should always keep in mind the level of training necessary to complete the task and match employees’ skill levels to those needs.

Types of skilled labour staff

Skilled labour staff may have a wide range of educational and occupational backgrounds, from employees with blue-collar jobs to those with white-collar jobs. Workers with exceptionally high levels of expertise, such as doctors and lawyers, may be better classified as professionals rather than skilled labourers.

Examples of skilled labour include but are not limited to the following: construction craftworkers, electricians and plumbers, carpenters, machinists, vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, electromechanical technicians, administrative assistants, registered nurses, computer operators, and law enforcement employees.

Further characteristics of skilled labour include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Workers who do most of their work with their hands
• Workers who generally lack the training or skills required for other tasks
• Workers with specialised education and training, which translates into higher pay for their work.
• Workers capable of operating complex or sensitive machinery
• Workers who require little supervision to complete their tasks

Reasons for hiring skilled labour

There are clear distinctions between skilled and unskilled labour and the different types of skilled workers, but what other reasons motivate employers to hire workers with specialised skills?

Cost-effectiveness

Firstly, it would be more costly for the employer to train a less-skilled worker if they need employees with particular skills. Low-skilled workers may ask for a higher wage because they require more supervision, need access to more equipment or materials and may be slower to complete the tasks assigned by their employer.

Productivity

Secondly, it would be less costly for the employer to hire a more highly skilled worker if the productivity of this worker is higher, even after the costs of acquiring or developing that skill are factored in.

Bottom line

Thirdly, a more highly skilled worker could produce goods or services that are more valuable on the market, increasing profits for the employer and providing the worker with a higher wage.

But what if the employer already has several low-skilled employees doing this task? Because it is so expensive to retrain them, they would probably want to find a more highly skilled worker who can do this job without training so that the company can use its resources more efficiently.

Skilled labour staffing solutions

Temporary staffing is a good solution in situations where the employer has a limited budget to find and hire an employee, the time frame required to find and train a suitable employee is too long, or the skill requirements for the job are very specific. Temporary employment services can enable companies to reduce the cost of employee turnover and increase the speed with which they can fill vacancies by providing easy access to skilled labour on a short-term contract managed by an outsourcing agency.

Permanent staffing is better when a company requires long-term access to specialised knowledge and skills. This solution ensures that the company has immediate access to a pool of technical labour who will remain with the company after fulfilling their initial contract.

Contingent staffing solutions provide an employer with a short-term workforce that can rapidly be deployed as needed. A contingent workforce of skilled labour allows a company to respond quickly to new production or service demands. It is an ideal staffing solution for projects requiring the specialised skills of employees on demand, such as during seasonal demand or business expansion.

Choosing your labour staffing solutions

Selecting the right staffing option can help companies find and get the best-skilled labourers for their organisation. It is vital to ensure the staffing solution is aligned with your needs, considering the types of skilled jobs you are looking to fill and what factors are most important to you and your business, including quality of service, customer satisfaction and costs.

Employers will also need to make sure they partner with a staffing agency that can maintain the effectiveness of their staffing solutions as labour requirements change and the company grows. MASA is an experienced staffing agency and labour broker offering end-to-end tailored staffing solutions to companies across various industries.

We can help organisations countrywide source, screen, and hire the most qualified skilled labour. We manage the entire staffing process to ensure your company gets the right candidate for your business and helps you control labour costs. Contact MASA today to learn more about MASA’s labour outsourcing and staffing solutions.