As we’ve all come to realize, finding a new production line worker for many modular factories is nowhere to be found. And if you are fortunate enough to find one it’s usually just a crapshoot waiting for them to either quit, get fired or fail the random drug test.
That’s just BS! You just may not be looking in the right place.
And this brings us to a very simple question: “If Millennials are such a huge part of today’s workforce why can’t modular factories find them?”
The answer however is far from simple. Let’s take a look at the Millennial generation as a whole and break the workforce into segments:
Education:
- Millennial College Graduates
- Millennial College Dropouts
- High School Graduates
- High School Dropouts
Workforce Status:
- Already working
- Looking for Work
- Unemployable
- Won’t look for work
- Can’t work
According to the 2017 US Labor Bureau the average wage across all of the areas above was $907 a week or $47,164 a year. However high school graduates averaged only $712 a week or $37,024 a year, a $10,000 a year difference.
On the surface that seems to make sense but one of these group’s wages is rising faster than a college graduate’s weekly wage of $1,173.
Enter the Millennial high school graduate that chose to either enter the military or get an apprenticeship or go straight into a job after school.
This is the group of Millennials that share a lot of their fellow Millennial values but have an understanding that working in a job that gives them a good paycheck, insurance and will allow them to buy a home and a nice SUV or two is within their grasp without any student debt to pay back or facing disappointed parents wondering why they wanted to work with their hands.
This group is the “golden egg” that all modular home factories try to get. So why can’t we get them to work for us?
Another ‘not so simple’ answer: they are making a lot more money than just about any other Millennial group including college graduates. They are loyal to their employers and most actually like their jobs.
It’s not unusual for young long haul truck drivers to make over $100,000 a year. The young high school graduates that are currently working in electrical, HVAC and even some factories are making more than $40 a hour or more plus benefits.
I just learned of a young local crane operator for a railroad intermodal yard getting a $20,000 raise for 2019 simply because he was good at his job and the company can’t find new people wanting to work for them. They were afraid they would lose him and have nobody to replace him.
This group of Millennial high school graduates that want to work will soon be outpacing and outearning their Millennial siblings and if you want to attract them to your production lines you better be prepared to pay them…handsomely!
If that is not in the cards for your factory you might want to look at these two groups of Millennials that are ripe for filling in the open slots. The first is Millennial high school dropout who may have dropped out for family or personal reasons. They probably would have graduated if not for some unforeseen circumstance and would love an opportunity at working for a good wage.
The other group is the college dropout. The sooner someone drops out of college the better the chance they either knew college wasn’t for them or like the high school dropout, they had something happen that forced them to quit. They know they have to work in the real world now and would love to learn you have good, long term jobs with good pay and benefits.
We hear a lot about Millennials changing jobs almost as fast as they update their smartphones but that is not as likely to happen with what I call the “Working Millennial” groups. They tend to stay with a good company longer and don’t have their noses pressed to the window looking for a better job.
Treat them with respect, give them a good wage with benefits and they will return the favor by being great members of your team.
