As manufacturers continue to have difficulty finding skilled workers and an IndustryWeek online poll shows a majority expecting skilled-worker shortages next year, another kind of worker shortage is affecting manufacturing executives--off the job.
There's a growing shortage of automotive, heating and air conditioning, equipment maintenance, recreational vehicle and appliance repair technicians, notes Joyce Gioia, president of the Herman Group, a Greensboro, N.C., consulting firm. "With a growing demand and a no-growth labor pool, each of us will feel the effects personally," she says. Shortages already are resulting in longer waiting times for service and affecting the quality of work, Gioia claims.
