Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1501483
8 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2023 Help Wanted You may have noticed a few open positions at your company, or among other companies in our industry. You also may have wondered why it's so hard to fill these seats. Many fabricators and suppliers have had multiple positions vacant for months, and unlike even five or 10 years ago, most compa- nies don't have a stack of resumés to choose from. Why are there so many open positions in this industry anyway? Aer all, this is one of the most exciting times to be working in elec- tronics. e headlines are full of news about advances in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and wearable medical devices—tech- nologies that were once only seen in Heinlein and Asimov novels. But many of our co-workers have retired, and there's another batch of technologists planning to pull the pin within the next five years. We've seen millions of working-aged people just quit the workforce for good. So, what do you need to do to fill these seats? As we learned while planning this issue, there are young people out there, eager to go to work in circuit board manufacturing. But they're not going to come to you; you will have to go out and find them. Your company must become attractive to these young people, like a pea- cock spreading its feathers. You must have an effective hiring strategy if you want to attract—and retain—skilled work- ers. Does your company have such a strategy? If not, we have the information you need to get your hiring plans up and running. In this issue, our expert contributors dis- cuss current trends in hiring, including what the next generation wants in a career. We also The Shaughnessy Report by Andy Shaughnessy, I-CONNECT007