IS PRINTING INDUSTRY IN “LABOUR TROUBLE”?

Hi

During my interaction with so many printers in India I hear one big cry – there is a shortage of skilled manpower… due to migration of manpower from one company to another like birds and short supply of passed out students from educational institutes. Recently I heard this cry in Ahmedabad and Surat market where poaching is rampant or often staff with entrepreneur skills start their own printing unit….not bad at all.

Somewhere printing industry is bigger than IT industry (yes why not..but it must be in terms of employment opportunities but not in terms of remuneration, so naturally slowly only few will take up printing industry as career when there are so many other greener pastures like IT).

How does a printing firm retain its precious man power resource who under go lot of training and nurturing in your company? How do you keep  them motivated and loyal?

Last year when I contacted more than a dozen institutes and colleges where print education courses are offered, I was told that the students (60 each) are already got absorbed in the printing industry. (I had approached these institutes somewhere in Sept, an odd time to find freshly passed out students for a training in screen printing).

I was told that there are atleast 3-4 institutes in a state min. offering print education like GIPTs, Engg colleges, polytechnics. Despite this, our industry is facing not facing manpower, but SKILLED and creative manpower. But amazing, still our printing industry is doing well, winning awards in national and international competitions.

Another reason for shortage of manpower, I was told, is that there is a growing ( mushrooming ) number of presses dot lining big and small cities. So when there is already a shortage of manpower, the only way to get manpower is within the industry (not outside) and poach hands from one another. Else, down the shutter or stop taking further orders and manage within the manpower.

The only way try to motive to the fullest possible and keep them tied to your shopfloors morally and emotionally. I do not think mere pay will pay to your efforts of keeping manpower at bay. We need to find out what makes them leave, is it just pay or there is something deeper. You cannot if your staff leaves for monetary gains. But other aspect, softer side, can certainly be taken care of.

Think it over because I am not a management expert to guide you how to retain manpower. By the way I can only suggest you that this is the time for campus interview. If you search in google you will find number of educational institutes where print education is offered where you will find some manpower for the next financial year.

Until then keep going. Meanwhile you may use the comment section to share your views on the above thoughts. Tell me how you retain manpower in your company? is there shortage of staff in your company? How do you solve this issue?

Shripad