Why Is Hiring Good Engineering Talent So Difficult?

There’s a candidate shortage throughout industries in today’s job market—this is especially true when looking to fill intensive roles like engineers. Finding qualified engineers to join your team can be stressful and challenging as the number of available professionals lowers every year. There are multiple reasons why hiring engineering talent is more difficult, and they can be enough to leave you dead in the water and unable to supplement your team. But right now, you are probably wondering where exactly things are going wrong.

High Demand and No Supply

One of the biggest and most apparent reasons hiring engineers is complicated is that there are not enough of them to go around. By 2024, the United States will be short 1.1 million STEM workers. This shortage makes companies desperate in their search to find engineering talent to the point that most recruiters seek them out rather than vice versa. With it becoming harder for STEM students to get into their programs and successfully graduate and more positions opening up—we will continue to see significant strains in finding quality talent in STEM fields. Because of the high demand in this field, engineers essentially get to write their job offers, which means companies will have to adapt to this new culture.

You’re Attempting to Hire Solo

Another reason recruiting engineers is difficult is that most companies are under the impression they have to go it alone and do not trust third-party firms to expedite the search. The fact is, recruitment and staffing firms have a higher chance of successfully netting an engineer to place since they have a broader talent pool to connect with. In addition, recruitment firms can serve as mediators between your company’s and the engineer’s needs. Recruiters establish a rapport with their candidates and then refer them to the openings they believe will best suit them. 

Establishing a partnership with a recruitment firm allows you to access these candidates for your own needs and enhance your odds of hiring a qualified engineer.

You Are Only Looking for Engineering Talent Locally

One of the most common mistakes companies make when hiring is that they only search for local candidates rather than expanding to a national talent pool. Unfortunately, the odds of finding a local candidate are already significantly diminished due to the high demand for qualified engineers, so limiting yourself to local candidates will hold your recruiting efforts back.

If you expand your search to other states, you will have a greater chance of finding someone to fill the position. This national expansion does come with convincing the candidate to relocate, which can be challenging since engineers are hardly struggling to find work. However, if you can offer the right combination of benefits and incentives, you will find that you have a higher chance of convincing them to join your team and relocate than you will if you are exclusively searching locally.

RHM Staffing Solutions Can Help You in Landing the Best Engineering Talent

In today’s job market, the need for engineers is at an all-time high—and that need is going to keep on growing. Engineers are highly valued for their talents to the point companies are warring for the best candidates. To overcome the candidate shortage for engineers, companies must think outside the box and adapt to the new reality of the candidate-controlled job market. 

If recruitment firms are starting to look more appealing to you, our team at RHM Staffing Solutions is skilled at locating and placing qualified engineers. So contact our team at RHM Staffing Solutions today to discover your next top engineering talent.