The manufacturing talent crisis is more severe than most realize. Jeremy Vanselous, President of The SearchWorks Group, reveals the staggering statistics: 30,000 workers leaving manufacturing monthly for the next nine years, with another 30,000 new positions being created monthly over the next six years. This net demand of 60,000 positions monthly collides with a significant generational gap that will take 5-8 years to begin closing.
During the conversation with EMSNOW’s Eric Miscoll at IPC APEX 2025, Jeremy shares how SearchWorks has leveraged their 17 years of industry expertise to deliver impressive results—presenting successful candidates in just 2.4 weeks and completing placements in 7.2 weeks on average. We explore the dramatic shift in recruitment patterns, with sales positions now representing 50-60% of their pipeline compared to 30% in typical years, signaling how companies are prioritizing revenue generation despite market uncertainties.
For manufacturing leaders, Jeremy offers three critical strategies: prioritize retention by understanding what truly motivates your team; develop comprehensive succession plans to address the Boomer exodus; and ensure internal alignment before initiating recruitment processes. Most importantly, we discuss why retention cannot be delegated to HR—as Jeremy emphasizes, “People don’t quit companies, they quit bosses.” The responsibility falls directly on leadership to build meaningful relationships that keep valuable team members engaged.
While AI and technology tools create efficiencies, Jeremy explains why executive search remains fundamentally human—finding candidates is easy, but getting them to “lift their head up and listen” requires relationships and trust that no algorithm can replicate. Connect with Jeremy through SearchWorks Group’s website or find him on LinkedIn to learn more about navigating the manufacturing talent landscape.
EMS@C-Level Live at APEX is sponsored by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Creative Electron (https://creativeelectron.com)
