Why filling light-industrial shifts feels harder than ever (and what to do about it)
Light industrial recruiting has always moved quickly, but lately, the pace has become almost unmanageable. Agencies are expected to cover hundreds of shifts across industrial sites, often with little notice. Finding workers has become increasingly difficult due to labor shortages, higher turnover, and last-minute cancellations. Even among the most dedicated recruiters, some shifts still fall through the cracks.
The frustrating reality is that many agencies still rely on spreadsheets and text chains to manage coverage. These manual systems are simply too slow and error-prone to handle the pressures of today’s demands. To keep up in today’s breakneck environment, agencies need a faster, smarter and more resilient approach.
In this blog, you’ll learn:
- Why light industrial shifts are harder than ever to fill
- The risks of relying on outdated manual processes
- The business of unfilled shifts
- How a modern light industrial workforce management platform can help agencies fill shifts faster and protect margins
The growing pressure on light industrial recruiting
The light industrial sector has weathered fluctuations before, but today’s challenges are unprecedented in scale. The industry has been contracting in recent years, intensifying competition at the very moment when qualified workers are harder to find and harder to keep. No-shows are common, especially for roles with unpredictable schedules, and clients expect reliable coverage and faster responses.
For agencies, these factors combine into a perfect storm. Recruiters are already stretched to their limit and a single no-show can set off a wave of disruption with recruiters rushing to find replacements and clients growing frustrated. What once may have been deemed a minor inconvenience can now lead to delayed orders or even lost business.
Why old methods can’t keep up
In many agencies, the process of filling shifts looks much the same as it did a decade ago. Recruiters waste countless hours juggling spreadsheets, tracking availability by phone or email, and manually updating call lists. These systems drain time and energy, while still leaving gaps in coverage.
With these outdated systems, the problems often compound quickly. By the time a recruiter works through their spreadsheets and call lists, the worker pool has likely shifted; shifts are double booked; available candidates are overlooked; and last-minute openings go unfilled. Workers feel the strain too as they wait on calls or scramble to confirm schedules. Meanwhile, clients notice coverage gaps and missed commitments, which decrease trust.
Unfilled shifts mean lost revenue and business
These operational challenges can significantly impact the bottom line. When a warehouse line is short-staffed, productivity slows immediately. Orders pile up, and errors multiply. Delays are almost guaranteed. Clients, of course, want to avoid gaps in coverage and rely on agencies for consistency.
If an agency can’t deliver, another agency that’s a competitor–or increasingly, a recruiting platform that promises faster fulfillment–may step in. In a business where margins are already slim, that kind of lost opportunity can make the difference between growth and stagnation with lost revenue and lost business.
The new playbook for light industrial recruiting
While some agencies have taken the drastic and expensive measure of overhiring–sometimes as much as 50% more than necessary. While that does increase the likelihood of 100% shift coverage, it inevitably decreases margins and disappoints workers. The answer should lie in changing the technology and tools used, rather than the workforce. While it may be tempting to push recruiters harder or hope workers suddenly become more dependable, what agencies really need is technology designed for the speed and complexity of high-volume recruiting.
A modern light industrial workforce management platform can lift some of the admin drudgery that slows recruiters down. With these platforms, spreadsheets can be replaced with real-time visibility into availability and compliance requirements can be flagged automatically rather than tracked on paper. When the system handles the routine tasks, recruiters can focus on the work they genuinely enjoy and do best
How Bullhorn’s platform is built for industrial recruiting
With deep experience across shift-based industries, Bullhorn understands the complexity of high-volume shift recruiting. Our platform helps agencies automatically match the right workers to open roles based on skills and availability – and auto-distribute those shifts out to these workers. It also allows them to communicate with large groups of workers in seconds and maintain compliance records without manual tracking. This frees recruiters to focus their time on building strong client relationships.
For agencies struggling to keep pace, a modern recruiting platform can change the game. Rather than racing to fill shifts at the last moment, they can finally operate with speed and consistency.
Final thoughts
Light industrial recruiting is at an inflection point. Relying on outdated manual methods only widens coverage gaps and increases operational strain. The agencies that succeed will be the ones that embrace smarter, more agile technology that can handle the realities of today’s environment.
By modernizing shift management, recruiting firms can protect their margins, exceed client expectations, and create a better experience for the workers they depend on. The tools are already here. The question is whether agencies are ready to put them to work.
For a deeper dive check out our Workforce Management Software page.
