In today’s fast-paced food manufacturing industry, staying competitive and efficient while maintaining strict safety and quality standards is a constant challenge. With growing consumer demands, evolving regulations, and economic pressures, food manufacturers are increasingly turning to Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) to optimize their workforce strategy. Here’s how RPO solutions are reshaping the landscape for food manufacturing organizations.

Addressing Talent Shortages Efficiently

The food manufacturing industry is up against major hurdles – with labor shortages topping the list. In fact, 73% of food manufacturers report difficulty finding qualified candidates. It’s a serious challenge that can overwhelm managers and HR departments. Demand is driving the growth of an innovative, customizable form of RPO that creates a centralized talent pipeline and boosts branding efforts while meeting hiring needs. 

RPO is more than “hiring” – an RPO company works as a partner in recruitment, providing outside expertise that can:

• Reduce the time (on average, more than two years) it takes to earn back the cost of hiring each employee
• Find the best place for each employee in the organization
• Consider organizational goals in each hire
• Dramatically increase the return on investment in each employee

Whether onsite or offsite, an RPO team expands, maintains, and monitors the available talent pool – so you have access to more, high-caliber candidates when you need them.

Customizing Recruitment for Seasonal Demands

Food manufacturers often experience surges of supply and demand throughout a year – such as during various holidays, seasonal production times, and in response to shipping availability. An RPO provider brings scalability and flexibility during seasonal ebbs and flows. Food manufacturers can structure (and price) the relationship to suit their current and forecasted staffing needs. During a surge, when you need to scale up quickly, an RPO partner helps reduce the risk of hiring unsuitable candidates. RPO specialists blend market intelligence with your business strategy – so you get the right people, when you need them.

Enhancing Compliance and Quality Standards

Food safety and compliance are top concerns among manufacturers today. In a survey of food safety respondents, 62% said they have employees who do not follow food safety programs on the plant floor. Safety gaps can result in public health emergencies and costly crises for manufacturers. An RPO provider with a deep understanding of food manufacturing’s specialized needs can provide workers who understand sanitation, compliance, and rural workforce dynamics. At EG Workforce Solutions, we help food manufacturers find qualified candidates with expertise in food safety regulations like HACCP and FSMA. 

Leveraging Data and Analytics for Smarter Hiring

RPO providers offer everything from data on salaries and hiring rates, to predictive analysis of how long it takes to fill specific positions. EG provides data to food manufacturers that includes talent mapping, turnover trends, and workforce planning. We also have the ability to run data and reporting on our candidate pipelines and recruiting efforts so you know your spend is being optimized. With RPO, you get a dedicated team that’s equipped with the latest innovations in data collection, information sharing, record keeping, and all facets of recruitment. All of that allows your RPO provider to engage, connect with, and hire the best talent. You just focus on what you do best – your business.

Driving Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency

Recruitment and onboarding can be urgent and costly, particularly in food manufacturing organizations with multiple divisions. When managed well with a quality provider, RPO can reduce time-to-hire by 40% and deliver cost savings of more than 50%. The high-end average retention for companies not using RPO is around four years. For RPO users, the low-end average is between four and eight years. In one case study, EG partnered with a prominent food manufacturing company that was experiencing a staggering turnover rate of 160% of its 600 annual hourly non-exempt employees. After utilizing EG’s RPO team, this manufacturer saw the following results:

• Improved first 30-day retention rate by 30%, resulting in $150,000 in savings
• Reduced sourcing and recruitment marketing costs by $122,000
• Overtime hours dropped from 6% to 2%, generating an additional $170,000 in savings
• Converted recruitment process to a direct-hire model, result in savings of $297 per position every month

EG ultimately saved the manufacturer more than $2.1 million – positioning the company for long-term success and alleviating candidate pipeline challenges.

Enhancing Employer Branding

As RPO providers look for talent to meet food manufacturers’ needs, they also strive to build a great brand that attracts top talent over the long term. In one case study, EG worked with a renowned restaurant chain to find 200 restaurant managers within a four-month timeframe. EG launched an employer branding campaign tailored to each market. This approach attracted robust pipelines of highly qualified candidates dedicated to improving customer service. An RPO provider essentially “becomes you” – meaning it seamlessly integrates into your brand. It expands your brand’s reach to more candidates to help you hire better – and faster. 

RPO Support for Your Business

Recruitment Process Outsourcing is no longer a luxury for food manufacturing organizations; it’s a strategic necessity. By partnering with RPO providers like EG Workforce Solutions, food manufacturers can navigate workforce challenges, meet production demands, and drive sustainable growth. Whether it’s filling critical roles quickly, ensuring compliance, or achieving cost efficiencies, RPO solutions are proving to be a game-changer in the industry. Visit www.egnow.com to explore our RPO solutions and see how we can support your business.