Thu, 10 Jul 2014Generalist recruitment agencies that send sub-par candidates through to customers in manufacturing are only contributing to the bottlenecks building up in a market already hindered by increasing skills shortages.

“Companies are spending too much time and money mis-communicating their needs, and it tars the recruitment industry as a whole. Also, there’s no time to waste in a growing industry,” says Beatrice Bartlay, founder and managing director of specialist staffing firm, 2B Interface.

UK manufacturing confidence fell in June for the first time in 14 months, according one recent index, with increased operational expenses and rising wage costs, thanks in the main to a shortage of skilled employees blamed for the slump.

“Most HR departments do a great job – but they are not on the floor. The same goes for generalist recruiters, who do not know the industry enough to find and place the right staff at the right time,” said Bartlay.

“They do not understand the exact requirements of the Production Manager when it comes to skills gaps, and with the industry growing, these gaps will get wider.”