When Productivity Slows Industrial Training Picks up the Pieces

Washington recently reported that U.S. employers added nearly 227,000 jobs during the month of February. The spike in hiring continued the greatest three month rise of job creation since the recession. The Labor Department noted that the unemployment rate remained at 8.3 percent during February, staying at its lowest percentage within the past three years.

During the past three months the U.S economy has created an average of 245,000 jobs. A survey conducted by the Associated Press said the U.S. economy is in fact improving at a faster pace than what was originally predicted by some of today’s leading economists. And some of those economists expect the unemployment rate to fall below 9 percent by the November election time.

The recent hiring frenzy has been a broad one, ranging from high paying to low paying jobs in fields such as manufacturing, mining and professional services.

While hiring has increased over the past few months, it seems it may be able to continue to grow. We’ve previously reported that worker productivity slowed during the final months of 2011. With worker output not able to reach the increasing demand, corporate profits are hurt. But a slower workforce is good news for the unemployment rate, because ultimately manufacturing employers will need to continue hiring in order to meet consumer demand.

Last week the Labor Department reported productivity rose at the annual rate of 0.9 percent from October through December of last year. 2011’s final quarter’s numbers are higher than originally estimated, however the productivity rate is almost half the pace seen in the July through September quarter.

An increase in hiring is always great news for our recovering economy. But, often, when output is down and industrial managers are strapped for funds to take on new hires, industrial training is a great alternative. While industrial skills training is ideal for both new hires and current plant workers, when implemented the idea is to increase your ROI (Return On Investment) so that workers are more productive and efficient all while your bottom line reaps the benefits of your new smoothly run plant floor. Whether it is for process control training, air compressor training or simply maintenance training, industrial skills training courseware is built to enhance the efficiency and safety practices of your workforce. Utilizing multi format industrial skills training programs also make it easier to put your courses into action. ITC Learning offers SCORM based online courseware, full motion video courseware as well as CD and DVD courses, so presenting your industrial training courseware is hassle free. Contact ITC Learning today to find out more about how our industrial skills training courseware can help benefit the progress on your plant floor.