Milling & Baking News - April 24, 2018 - 7

Editorial

Baking labor issues require stepped-up response

t was more than two years ago that leading baking jobs, particularly to the millennial generation. And
organizations made a considerable investment to the demographic trends underlying the problem to
better understand a workforce gap posing a wors- begin with march steadily and unfavorably forward.
ening threat across the baking industry.
Since the Cypress study was released, each of
A study commissioned by the American Bakers As- the baking industry's leading organizations have
sociation and the American Society of Baking and con- launched training programs to narrow the workforce
ducted by Cypress Research showed that more than gap. While the industry deserves great credit for prothree quarters of bakers were facing a high shortage actively identifying the problem and taking imporor severe shortage of hourly skilled maintenance/en- tant steps, no one in baking would say the shortages
gineering workers. The study, "The Workforce Gap in identified in 2016 have been satisfactorily reversed. To
U.S. Commercial Baking: Trends, Challenges and Solu- the contrary, baker concerns about labor issues are as
tions," indicated that machine operators and salaried great as ever (though the industry does not rank the
engineering/maintenance employees were categories problem as high a priority as the National Federation
bakers cited as being of serious concern. Problems of Independent Business).
were exacerbated by a lack of formal training for workIn addition to training, recommendations emanaters combined with a rising bar for skills required in ing from the 2016 study included employer strategies
connection with ever advancing
to foster a positive workplace enTo truly make progress or to
baking production technology.
vironment, employer branding
avoid backsliding, pro forma
The current national labor backand stepped-up outreach to high
steps alone will not achieve
drop has not become any more
schools, technical schools, comdesired results.
favorable in the two years since
munity colleges and four-year
the study was conducted. During this period, the U.S. colleges about careers in bakery manufacturing.
unemployment rate dipped from an already low 5 per
Many other potential solutions have been identicent in April 2016 to an extraordinarily low 4.1 per cent fied, including expanded steps focused on recruiting
in March 2018. For historical perspective, the jobless rate (e.g., targeting underutilized or new talent pools such
has been lower than 4.1 per cent in only 11 months since as women, military veterans and millennials). Addi1980 out of 460 and has averaged more than 6.3 per cent. tionally, not all training programs are created equal,
Recent data from the National Federation of Inde- and less reliance on "shadowing and observing othpendent Business emphasizes the point that across ers," one of the most popular training "solutions," has
the economy, the problems identified two years ago been recommended. Finally, companies need to take
by bakers have worsened. Respondents to the group's robust steps addressing, whenever possible, promisurvey indicated that finding qualified workers is the nent retention-related challenges. These include diftop issue facing small business owners, eclipsing taxes, ficult working hours/shifts; understaffing on the prosales trends or the cost of regulations. Nearly 90 per duction floor; untrained supervisors and a challengcent of respondents who are hiring or trying to hire in- ing manufacturing environment.
dicated finding few or no qualified applicants. MeanAt the annual meeting of the A.B.A. last week in
while, the group's data showed small business owners Phoenix, finding ways to attract and retain skilled
indicating historically high job creation plans, rising 2 workers was on the minds of bakers in attendance
points in April to 20 per cent. The percentage of em- with the issue cropping up in numerous presentaployers planning to raise compensation to help attract tions. To truly make progress or to avoid backsliding,
workers has climbed to the highest levels since 2000.
pro forma steps alone will not achieve desired results.
For grain-based foods, the problem is compounded Looking for near-term cost savings by deferring agby a workforce perception that baking plant positions gressive efforts to recruit and retain talented workers
are less attractive than many other manufacturing would be the height of short sightedness. MBN
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