Three-quarters (75%) of organizations in the manufacturing industry were hiring full-time staff in the fall of 2011, an increase from 51% in 2010. Of those organizations hiring in 2011, more than two-thirds (68%) reported difficulty recruiting for specific open jobs. The five most difficult positions to fill for the manufacturing industry are high-skilled technical positions (e.g., technicians and programmers) (89%), engineers (88%), skilled trades (e.g., electricians, carpenters) (83%), managers and executives (80%), and sales representatives (74%). This is the second of eight industry-level SHRM Poll findings on how the recession is impacting employers in the U.S.
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