📉 The U.S. is short 400,000 skilled manufacturing workers. But it’s not for lack of people—it’s a lack of scalable staffing infrastructure.
👉 Read the original LinkedIn News article
The American manufacturing industry is facing a labor crisis—again. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there’s a shortfall of over 400,000 skilled factory workers across the country. Aging workforces, declining vocational training, and the growing appeal of gig work have all played a part in the current labor gap.
But here’s the truth that doesn’t get enough attention:
This is not a labor shortage. It’s a staffing failure.
Traditional staffing models weren’t built to serve today’s volatile, on-demand workforce needs—and they’re costing manufacturers time, money, and production capacity.
At WAE (Work Available Everywhere), we’ve supported thousands of manufacturing and logistics employers for nearly two decades. We’ve seen this coming. And we’ve built the tech-powered, operationally integrated platform they need to move forward.
🚧 The Problem: Traditional Staffing Can’t Keep Up
Most manufacturing facilities today face one or more of the following:
- High turnover and absenteeism
- Multiple temp agencies with no centralized oversight
- Manual timekeeping systems prone to abuse
- Lost productivity from no-shows and last-minute cancellations
- Re-training costs and overtime spiraling out of control
Hiring for entry-level industrial roles has become a revolving door—one that costs U.S. employers billions annually in lost efficiency, compliance risk, and burnout.
🛠 The Solution: On-Demand Staffing, Reimagined
WAE offers a platform built specifically for industries that rely on shift-based, hourly workers. That includes food manufacturing, packaging and fulfillment, warehouse logistics, healthcare, hospitality, and more.
Our platform combines on-demand staffing, temp-to-perm labor, and real-time workforce analytics into one seamless experience:
Here’s how it works:
- Post the job
Set your needs by role, shift, and schedule in minutes. - Auto-fill with Smart Rosters™
The system matches jobs with top-rated W2 workers based on reliability scores.
Track in real-time
Geo-fenced clock-in/out gives you complete visibility into every shift, every worker.
🔑 What Sets WAE Apart?
✅ Talent at Scale
Access thousands of pre-vetted W2 workers in your region—reliability-scored, performance-tracked, and ready to work.
✅ Transparent Reliability Scoring
Every worker has a real-time rating based on attendance, completion, and cancellation behavior—just like your favorite rideshare platform.
✅ Operational Visibility
Get insights most temp agencies can’t provide: fill rate accuracy, worker reliability, cancellation rates, and labor ROI.
✅ Rapid Fill Rates
Last-minute order? We’ve filled 94 shifts in under four hours for a major event. That’s not luck—it’s smart labor optimization.
🧠 Why This Matters for Manufacturers
For operations leaders and plant managers, this isn’t just about hiring—it’s about uptime, throughput, and hitting KPIs.
For HR leaders, it’s about finding reliable, compliant, and cost-efficient talent without getting bogged down by resumes and interviews.
And for CEOs and CFOs, WAE delivers higher retention, stronger ROI, and reduced labor risk in a volatile market.
💬 Real Results: LiDestri Foods
After adopting WAE, LiDestri Foods (a major food manufacturer in NY) saw:
- Fill rates jump to 95%+
- Overtime costs reduced by 30%
- A pipeline of over 30 direct hires from WAE’s worker pool
Ready to Modernize Your Workforce?
If your manufacturing facility relies on hourly or temp labor, ask yourself:
❓ Are you managing multiple staffing vendors with no centralized system?
❓ Are you losing time and money to absenteeism and retraining?
❓ Are you confident in your labor visibility across shifts?
If not, WAE was built for you.
📍 Serving industries across Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse NY—and now live in 48 states.
