More than half of Midwestern companies expect to increase their current staff levels, according to a recent survey conducted by Brookfield-based staffing and recruiting firm QPS Employment Group.
The survey included 197 companies from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri who were surveyed in April. The average company size was 106 employees.
Of those who expect to hire, most plan to add between one and nine employees.
About 64 percent of respondents, however, indicated their biggest issue is they can’t find qualified candidates. And 67 percent rated the current labor market as difficult or extremely difficult in which to hire quality employees for their open roles.
More than 30 percent of employers surveyed expect to increase wages, while 69 percent expect to keep wages the same.
Other big issues facing companies included health care and insurance costs, the economy, government regulations and material costs.
The five general labor jobs that need the most applicants in the Midwest are: Assembly; packaging; warehouse/logistics; food manufacturing; and machine operators. And in skilled manufacturing, the most open positions are: Forklift drivers; CNC machine operators; welders; machine set up & maintenance; and quality control.
