The aerospace and defense sector — a hub of engineering prowess and innovation — is a cornerstone of California’s manufacturing landscape.
More than most other industries, aerospace and defense depends on a highly skilled, specialized, and technical workforce to achieve continuous growth and success. This specialization results in a limited pool of top-tier candidates, making the competition between manufacturers intense and the stakes high.
To make matters more complicated, many younger workers are leaving the industry for jobs in the automotive and tech sectors. At the same time, older workers are preparing for retirement at an unprecedented rate.
So, hiring is only half the battle. You also have to retain your top talent. Because when employees leave, the company loses out in terms of time, money, and various other resources, with total estimated costs of each turnover ranging from 90% to 200% of an ex-employee’s annual salary.
So, how do you attract and keep top talent in this hyper-competitive hiring environment?
Here’s what you need to know...
When it comes to aerospace and defense recruitment, your first task is to identify specific skill requirements needed in a quality candidate. Effective hiring goes beyond finding talented individuals. It’s about alignment with the role as well as the broader organizational company culture.
To find a high-quality employee who can excel in the role from the outset and grow with the company, you need to understand the hard and soft skills essential to the role. This involves understanding the specialized expertise, character traits, and temperament that align with the given job. This harmony ensures short-term success and contributes to long-term retention by ensuring that the employee will feel challenged, valued, and fulfilled in their duties.
Naturally, the desired skills and weight you place on certain qualities will vary from role to role within the aerospace and defense sector. Mastery of aero-thermodynamics might be crucial for a flight engineer, whereas leadership and communication skills are crucial for a program manager.
The aerospace and defense industry is evolving at a rapid pace. As organizations adopt modern factories during the fourth industrial revolution, it’s important to future-proof your recruitment strategy. This means you’ll need to look beyond your immediate needs and extrapolate. For instance, questions you can ask include:
By proactively planning ahead, you can foster a workforce ready to meet the evolving needs of the aerospace and defense sector. Additionally, this foresight enables you to begin training current employees in new skill areas rather than solely focusing on hiring replacement workers, which goes a long way with employee retention. The blend of hiring aligned talent and ongoing talent development empowers you to build solid and adaptable teams, which is a necessity in such a competitive industry.
With so much competition, aerospace and defense manufacturers must follow a multifaceted approach to talent acquisition. What this looks like will likely vary depending on your specific talent needs. However, three impactful strategies include:
To attract the right talent, you need to build a brand and culture that people want to be a part of. Don’t forget the power of showcasing your company’s strengths, culture, and unique selling points while highlighting opportunities for growth and development to new candidates.
Though the aerospace and defense industry has plenty of intriguing job opportunities, the industry as a whole is rarely a job searcher’s first choice. That means when you do make a quality hire, you need to keep them on the payroll. The longer, the better, so long as they continue to provide ROI. But, this can be challenging, as it's common for competitors to recruit top talent with enticing offers that are often too good to pass up.
So, how do you make sure that this doesn’t happen?
Remember the power of two-way communication. When you empower employees and encourage feedback and involvement, you bring them into the conversation and make them a part of the retention strategies.
Finding and retaining skilled aerospace and defense workers can be a daunting task — it requires a strategic approach that encompasses understanding current and future skill demands, multifaceted acquisition strategies, and retention through compensation, growth opportunities, positive work culture, and continuous support.
Need assistance?
At CMTC, we offer targeted solutions that aerospace and defense manufacturers can leverage to attract, develop, and retain skilled A&D talent. Our tailored programs cover everything from workforce planning and skills assessment to training and employee upskilling.
Contact us today to explore how CMTC can assist your aerospace and defense manufacturing organization in building and developing a robust and capable workforce.