High turnover is a persistent challenge in manufacturing and distribution. But for many companies, the real issue isn’t just retention—it’s keeping the right candidates.
The key to retention starts with attraction. Our latest Candidate Insight Report explores where and how job seekers evaluate potential employers. By understanding their priorities, companies can refine hiring strategies to bring in the best-fit candidates—those who are more likely to stay.
Here’s what our 2025 report reveals about how light industrial candidates vet workplaces.
1. Where job seekers are looking for jobs
- 71.2% use Indeed, making it the most popular job search platform for respondents.
- 34.4% visit staffing agency websites to explore open positions.
- 31.5% look directly on company websites.
- 29% rely on referrals from friends or family.
- 24.5% use LinkedIn to network and search for roles.
Conclusion: if a company is only relying on their own website or a single job board, they could be missing out on a huge pool of potential candidates.
2. Overtime matters – but clarity matters more
When it comes to overtime, job seekers have mixed feelings:
- Over 1/3 prefer jobs with at least some overtime.
- More than 20% want positions with lots of overtime.
- However, over 90% of candidates say they need clear overtime expectations in the interview.
Simply put—unclear overtime policies can be a dealbreaker. Candidates don’t want surprises when it comes to their work-life balance.
3. Staffing agencies' specializations matter (and so do their reviews!)
For many light industrial candidates, staffing agencies are the bridge to new job opportunities. But they don’t just work with any agency—45% of candidates chose their last staffing agency because it had a job they wanted. Positive ratings and proactive recruiter outreach also play a big role - 13.6% chose positive ratings or reviews as why they chose their most recent staffing firm.
However, when candidates leave a staffing agency, it’s usually because of poor communication (26.8%) or a lack of good job opportunities in their industry (26.4%).
The takeaway? Agencies that provide clear communication and industry-specific job matches have a major advantage when attracting candidates. When you're choosing what agency to work with to fill your positions, these are some of the things to keep in mind.
What this means for employers
Candidates are doing their homework before accepting a job. To attract and retain top talent, employers need to:
- Ensure you're meeting candidates where they’re searching.
- Communicate expectations to avoid surprises.
- Make sure your staffing agency is well-reviewed and proactive in candidate outreach.
In a competitive job market, companies that take candidate preferences seriously will be the ones that attract the best talent. Want to learn more? Check out the full 2025 Candidate Insight Report by KP Staffing!
KP Staffing specializes in manufacturing, distribution, and 3PL staffing. We source employees for a variety of positions across skill levels for distribution and manufacturing facilities across the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas, and now Atlanta, GA, and Memphis, TN!
You can learn more about us here!
