The specialty chemicals industry is a volatile and challenging one. And it has become even more challenging since the onset of COVID-19. Sectors like food, beverage, and nutrition must adapt and recover from any setbacks the pandemic may have caused. So organizations will require top talent to thrive this year and beyond. However, finding the perfect fit for available roles is still tricky, which is why specialty chemical recruiters are so invaluable.
The Recruiting Landscape
The main recruiting challenges the specialty chemicals food, beverage, and nutrition sectors face are as follows.
Not enough people are pursuing careers in specialty chemicals. Therefore, fewer qualified people actively seek out employers in the industry. Plus, the skills or talent required have become even more specialized and unique due to technological advances, compounding challenges.
- Older employees with the right experience and skills are retiring. The specialty chemicals industry has a higher median age than others. The relatively small number of younger employees makes it challenging to develop workers from within organizations to fill roles.
- There’s a skill shortage among the new generation, which makes it harder to fill critical roles.
Thankfully, specialty chemical recruiters can address talent gaps in organizations, making these firms critical to business success.
Changes Brought on by COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic changed recruiting for the specialty chemicals food, beverage, and nutrition sectors, including others.
For many, the pandemic necessitated a shift to online interviewing and partial remote work. Companies were forced to change the entire recruitment process to accommodate new social distancing norms. And while it’s not plausible for businesses to transition entirely to a remote workforce, adoption should increase.
Handling most of the recruitment process in a virtual environment and allowing employees to work remotely can ensure everyone is safe. But organizations will need candidates with technical skills and self-direction more than ever.
Additionally, the job market has changed. The hiring needs for some companies have soared, while others saw a decrease. Plus, there’s an unprecedented spike in unemployment rates worldwide.
Workplace Expectations
Millennials have specific standards that companies are expected to embrace.
A survey by FlexJobs found that 85 percent of millennials want to telecommute 100 percent of the time. Fifty percent of survey respondents are ok telecommuting some times, and 84 percent want work-life balance. The survey results illustrate how important flexibility is to the younger generation.
And that’s a challenge for food, beverage, and nutrition since the level of flexibility required isn’t always possible. Companies will need to innovate to meet some of the demands of millennials. Otherwise, recruitment will continue to remain a massive challenge. The situation is even direr for organizations without designated specialty chemical recruiters.
Your Most Valuable Asset
People are a company’s most valuable asset, but not all organizations remember that fact.
You see, it’s easy to put the needs of shareholders first, but without people, there’s no business. Humans can adapt to new environments, needs, and creatively solve problems, which are essential during rapid change. Other assets cannot do those things.
The advent of recent events and trends means the specialty chemical industry will need to start viewing and valuing its people as critical assets. During these times, the quality of a company’s talent is key to continued success and growth.
Furthermore, a company’s reputation and capacity for innovation can affect how often candidates approach. So if your business has a good reputation as an employer and innovator, you should regularly receive more qualified candidates. Recruiting talented people is much harder when those things are missing.
Quick Industry Outlook
According to Market Research Future (MRFR), developments in the food & beverage business should enable growth in the specialty chemicals market – thanks to the increased use of food additives. MRFR estimates that the food & beverage sector will generate more than $160 billion by 2023 at a development rate of over 10 percent.