Middle market trend watch: Attracting and retaining talent

Among organizations filling positions over the last 12 months, just over two-thirds (67%) of those staffing line production, manufacturing or assembly positions indicated major or moderate shortages in the availability of qualified workers. In this month’s The Real Economy, we examine businesses’ need for qualified personnel and the difficulty attracting them; data provided by our recent RSM US Middle Market Business Index survey.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Sustained levels of low unemployment, increased competition for talent and higher employee turnover are creating significant headwinds for U.S. companies seeking to augment their workforce. Middle market businesses, however, have clear opportunities to offer more nontraditional incentives to attract and retain a new generation of employees and, when appropriate, to look into technology or outsourcing to solve unmet staffing needs. According to the RSM US Middle Market Business Index second-quarter survey, most midsize businesses have yet to significantly engage on these fronts.