November
14 -- More manufacturers are gearing up to hire temporary employees, sometimes
for jobs lasting many months, as they need the help but are reluctant to make
permanent commitments.
Thursday,
Ariens Co. said it was seeking 150 employees to build snow throwers and
lawn-and-garden equipment in Brillion. Also, the company says it will hire
another 150 people in January and February.
Some
of the jobs could be temporary, but many new hires will stay on as year-round
employees, said company spokeswoman Ann Stilp.
"The
bigger challenge for us sometimes is our location," she said, since
Brillion isn't a big town and residents also commute to work in Manitowoc,
Appleton and Green Bay.
Recently,
Harley-Davidson Inc. added 100 temporary jobs at its Menomonee Falls plant as
the company prepares for the production of model-year 2014 motorcycles.
Harley
says the employees have been hired for the work that runs from January until
June at the powertrain operations on Pilgrim Road.
The
company used staffing agencies and its website to recruit people for the jobs
that pay roughly $16.75 to $23.30 an hour — similar to the pay scale at the
York, Pa., motorcycle assembly plant that's seeking 400 temporary employees.
This
summer, Harley completed its first year of seasonal surge production in York.
That effort, also taking place at the company's other plants, is aimed at
producing motorcycles closer to market demand, increasing manufacturing
efficiencies and saving hundreds of millions of dollars in costs.
The
company's plant in Tomahawk needs 60 more seasonal employees to work 10 months
starting in January, said Harley-Davidson spokeswoman Maripat Blankenheim.
Wages
at the Tomahawk plant are comparable with Menomonee Falls and the other plants,
she said.
Some
companies, such as outdoor power equipment makers, have long used surge
production and seasonal hiring to build products close to demand and not carry
excess inventory.
That's
the case for Kohler Co., which hires seasonal employees to build engines in
advance of the lawn-and-garden equipment season. In Waukesha, Generac Power
Systems has used temporary hires to fill a glut of orders for generators after
major power outages.
But
more manufacturers are using the hiring strategy to fill year-round jobs while
avoiding long-term commitments to employees, according to staffing agencies.
"Employers,
especially Milwaukee-based manufacturing companies, seem to be favoring that
because they're trying to get a handle on whether their growth will be
sustained. Everybody is still in limbo about this economy. That's the bottom
line," said Wendy Koppel, president and owner of Division 10
Personnel/AeroStaff, a Milwaukee staffing agency.
"Five
years after the recession, this is the slowest recovery I have ever seen. One
way employers are responding to this tentative feeling is they're opting for
more long-term temporary employees," Koppel said.
Some
companies use temporary hires as a way to try people out before they offer them
permanent positions. It gives them more flexibility to fire someone if the job
isn't working out or the work suddenly ends.
People
hired for jobs that sometimes last only a few months should take the time
they're with a company and get the inside track on permanent positions, said
Jim Golembeski, executive director of the Bay Area Workforce Development Board
in Green Bay.
"Even
if you come in as a seasonal worker, companies are looking for people who stand
out," he said.
A
short stint at a manufacturing plant can be a way to sharpen your workplace
skills and enhance your chances at getting permanent employment.
"One
of the big problems with people who are out of work for a long time is their
skills atrophy. It's a reason why many employers are reluctant to hire someone
who has been unemployed for a couple of years," said Hank Cox, who
recently retired from the National Association of Manufacturers in Arlington,
Va., and is now a freelance writer on manufacturing issues.
"There's
some good in it, and people adapt. But for most people, it can't be a good
feeling to know their job is only for a few months. Overall, I think it's a
negative trend that I hope doesn't become too prevalent," Cox said.
Rick Barrett www.jsonline.com
No comments:
Post a Comment