Looking for Skilled Manufacturing Labor in Mexico?

Tariff uncertainty has led many manufacturers to put their plans of expanding to Mexico on hold. However, an unchanging advantage manufacturing in Mexico provides is a solution for those struggling with securing top industrial talent.

Because manufacturing is the number one industry in Mexico, contributing the highest to the country’s GDP, its leaders continue to invest in higher education and advanced skills training to support it.

As a result, U.S. and other foreign manufacturers have access to a constant pool of cost-competitive talent who have experience working in production across multiple sectors. Therefore, manufacturing in Mexico is ideal for those focused on plastics, metal fabrication, and electronics assembly, and the like, as a strategy that minimizes risk while diversifying portfolios.

However, the most important component of successful manufacturing is the workers, and often, companies find the proximity to the U.S. market, combined with the availability and cost-effectiveness of highly skilled talent, is enough to offset tariffs.

Labor rates in Mexico are one of the main reasons why manufacturers continually increase their foreign direct investment and are able to expand their production. For companies new to manufacturing in Mexico and wanting to better understand the recruiting process, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Evaluate Employee Expectations

U.S. and other foreign manufacturers require highly skilled operators who have specific experience necessary for production, such as injection molding, welding repair, and electronics technician experience.

Though base labor rates in Mexico are lower than in the U.S., the need for this level of talent makes Mexico’s industrial workforce competitive. Therefore, to recruit and retain top-tier workers, manufacturers must meet salary and benefit expectations through an attractive compensation plan.

Set a Realistic Recruiting Timeline

Every city has its own unique challenges with worker availability and employee turnover. Additionally, various factors contribute to the recruiting timeline, including marketing for open job positions, conducting background checks, and scheduling interviews.

However, if a manufacturer is set up in an attractive location for local talent and has a competitive compensation plan in place, it’ll make the process go more quickly. Furthermore, working with a shelter services company provides the experience, expertise, and networks necessary to recruit highly skilled employees more quickly.

Though most companies start with a smaller pool of talent and scale the business slowly as they solidify processes and personnel, IVEMSA has experience helping clients ramp up their factories and implementing strategies for recruiting 100+ workers at once, depending on their specific needs.

Prepare Production Roles

Securing skilled labor in Mexico runs smoother when manufacturers have job descriptions in place and an idea of the number of workers needed for their project.

A shelter services partner provides support from the beginning to help expedite the process. This may involve scheduling site visits to discuss challenges, talking to production managers to find out what they are looking for, and being intricately involved to better understand a company’s specific goals.

It’s no easy feat to launch production in a foreign country. However, IVEMSA streamlines the recruiting process as part of the full administrative setup to help manufacturers launch production faster and more efficiently.

Benefit from a Shelter Company’s Services and Support

Despite the temporary, tariff-driven pause some manufacturers may be taking, considering employee expectations, recruiting timelines, and labor rates in Mexico is important to know in advance.

Having the right workers in place is the first step to launching production. Recruitment planning puts manufacturers in a better position once they are ready to initiate manufacturing operations.

Interested in learning more about the costs associated with manufacturing in Mexico? Download our free comprehensive guide or connect with one of our team members today.