Taken on any new staff lately? Piece of cake was it?

I'm being facetious, but I think I can probably guess the answer.

Around this time last year, we canvassed our readers on how they were finding the whole recruitment process and the takeaway headline was that the overwhelming majority described the task as 'extremely difficult'. Would you say anything has changed in the past 12 months?

To gauge opinion, we are running a similar survey today which we would very much appreciate as many of our readers as possible contributing to. 

Recruitment is clearly a perennial issue in this industry and is never far away from the thoughts of both dealers and manufacturers. It's a discussion that seems to crop up whenever there is any sort of industry gathering.

I heard a dealer speaking the other day who said they were having a "terrible" time trying to acquire new staff members. "No one wants to join the industry," they said. They'd obviously had it really tough just lately as they were exceedingly pessimistic in their outlook. This particular dealer was talking about the recruitment crisis, as they saw it, "being the death of the industry in 10-15 years unless something is done."

Strong words, but you can understand their frustration.

In the past I've seen this frustration from dealers directed towards the trade associations who they see as not addressing the issue in an effective way. It was then, encouraging to hear the incoming AEA president, Adrian Winnett, general manager of Argo Tractors in the UK and Ireland, make attracting new blood into the industry a key part of his speech at their recent conference in London.

He talked about how the industry needs to continue finding ways to retain and attract young talent, not just from within but also from outside the industry.

Adrian told the delegates, "It is a terrible shame that beyond our own circle neither of the words ‘agriculture’ and ‘engineering’ resonate in terms of a career choice with the majority of young people.

“Yet we all know what challenging, fulfilling and rewarding opportunities there are in agriculture generally and in the agricultural and groundscare machinery sectors in particular.”

Adrian suggested that from the outside, agriculture is often thought of as being another world, of being insular and open only to those already in it with personal experience of farming or at least of rural life.

“We must do our bit to help change those perceptions if we are to capitalise on the wealth of talent that, at present, is attracted to other industries and commercial sectors.”

Marvellous sentiments and it was great to hear the issue being discussed in front of a room full of top-level, industry movers and shakers. One feels that if the problem is at least recognised and acknowledged, it must be the first step to finding solutions?

Last year when we asked our readers how difficult it was finding new staff, literally not one single person responded saying it was easy. I'm sure if you asked that same question in many other sectors, you'd get respondents telling you how they are overwhelmed with candidates and never struggle to fill positions. Why is this industry so very different?

I'm not saying if you've got a workshop technician role to fill that we'll ever get to stage where you will be swamped by a deluge of applicants, but surely things have to improve?

Let us know today how things are for you. Please fill us in on your current experiences of looking for new staff. Are you finding it particularly tough this year or is it just the same as it's ever been?

We’d be interested to know if you're perhaps finding success with advertising your positions in less traditional places? Also who should be taking responsibility for promoting the industry to potential candidates?

Finally as ever, there’s space for you to leave your comments on what it’s been like for your dealership attempting to find new people and to tell us what you think could be done to aid the process.

We’ll publish the results and a selection of your opinions in the next issue of Service Dealer magazine. Thank you in advance for your help.

TAKE THE SURVEY