Manufacturing, warehousing recovers but demands patience -- Career Center Blog

May 15, 2011

Manufacturing, warehousing recovers but demands patience

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By Randy Woods
NWjobs

In the darkest days of the Great Recession, it seemed as if manufacturing in the Puget Sound region was in its death throes. The economy also devastated the container trade at the Port of Seattle, leading to more job stagnation in the warehousing and distribution sector.

As we edge closer to the busy summer months of 2011, however, it appears that the local industrial sector is beginning to show signs of life again. According the latest figures from the Employment Security Department, the region added 1,600 manufacturing jobs in March. In 2010, the Port of Seattle saw its business increase 35 percent compared the previous year as port expansions came online and trade balance improved with Asian markets.

While manufacturing and warehousing jobs may not have returned to their pre-recession levels, the recent upticks in job creation is cause for hope for many Puget Sound laborers.

"The pulse I'm getting for manufacturing is that no one is expecting gangbusters, but the future is a lot brighter for this year," said Wayne Radavice, senior area vice president for the Northwest District at recruiting and temporary staffing agency Randstad.

While Radavice could not point to any specific trends that were driving job growth, he said the recent production increases at Boeing from the 787 line and the new $35 billion U.S. Air Force refueling tanker deal is driving higher demand for machinists. "We're seeing a number of openings for 'metal-oriented' industries," he said. "A lot of Boeing subcontractors are starting to switch on, too, looking for more workers."

The catch with this good news -- and there's always a catch -- is that many of these new openings are short-term, project-oriented positions that may last only a few months or until a specific project is completed. While this news may not thrill those skilled workers looking for stable benefits packages, Radavice advised that workers should take the contingency work if it suits their skills and be patient for more permanent openings once their foot is in the door.

"Companies are promoting more from within," Radavice said. "So those who are flexible and willing to take on temporary work, or perhaps something that doesn't pay as well as they had hoped, will often be the ones that get picked first for longer-term jobs. That's a philosophy that tends to pay off.

Radavice said he has seen several examples of three-day assignments in the manufacturing sector that eventually turn into full-time jobs and even supervisory positions. "My ability to help my clients is limited by the parameters that they place on themselves," he said. "Folks with limited parameters about which jobs they will accept are usually out of work longer than those who are willing to be flexible and patient for the higher-paying jobs down the road."

Currently, Radavice added, the demand seems a bit higher for general-labor workers in manufacturing and warehousing than it is for higher-skilled positions, such as forklift and crane operators or electrical engineers. Much of this has to do with the improving economy and increase in staff churn.

"People who stood still in jobs over the last two years are seeing their confidence restored," he explained. "Most had wanted to look for new work but were afraid to leave their jobs. Now, they're starting new jobs searches and being successful. That has a trickle-down effect that creates new openings. We're seeing more movement now, which raises people up from within companies and also pulls people in through the front door."

In other words, persistence, optimism and patience pay off when it comes to manufacturing and warehousing positions. "Even during the bowels of the recession, the ones with the best attitude were the ones who found work the fastest," Radavice said.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.