For years, the maintenance community has faced recruitment headwinds. According to ARSA’s recently-completed member survey, the vast majority of respondents have difficulty finding technical talent – one of the two biggest perceived risks for the industry this year. It is challenging to attract qualified applicants, so it’s important to consider what happens once they’re actually in the door.

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ARSA asked and 35 members answered: How long does it take for you to turn new hires into productive technicians? On average, respondents report that the average non-certificated technician needs 14 months of development to be a profitable employee and certificated technicians need nine months. While those figures were moderated by several reported quick-turnarounds for each type of technician, there were multiple respondents that indicated a full two years (24 months) were needed to produce a useful technician regardless of their certification.

The member survey data indicated each employee represents $177,000 in average annual revenue. Considering that figure, the lost productivity produced by this onboarding time lag could result in a considerable amount of lost revenue across the entire industry.

If you have questions or want to provide additional information, contact Brett Levanto (brett.levanto@arsa.org). Keep a lookout for more “quick questions” from ARSA.

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