‘MTSU On the Record’ prints facts about printing industry labor force

Associate professor Ralph Williams Jr., top left, and assistant professor Tim Moake of the Department of Management discuss the printing industry’s struggles in finding and hiring good workers on the April 26 edition of the “MTSU On the Record” radio program. Their interview with host Gina Logue aired on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org and is available to hear in the SoundCloud link above. (MTSU photos of Williams and Moake; printing photo from Adobe Stock; WMOT and Department of Management logos also shown)

The printing industry’s struggles in finding and hiring good workers was the subject of a recent “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with associate professor Ralph Williams Jr. and assistant professor Tim Moake of the Department of Management first aired April 26 on WMOT-FM Roots Radio 89.5 and www.wmot.org.

Dr. Tim Moake, assistant professor, Department of Management (MTSU photo) — Dr. Tim Moake

Dr. Ralph Williams, Management faculty, College of Business. — Dr. Ralph Williams

Their conversation’s now available to hear at the SoundCloud link above.

Williams, Moake and management professor Daniel Morrell co-authored “Workforce Shortages: Its Effects and Effective Related Practices,” an October 2021 report on the labor force in the printing industry, for a coalition of industry organizations.

The survey of printing industry employers found that job turnover in the business averaged 14%. On average, employers were unable to fill 36% of their open positions for more than a year.

Williams, who was president of three different printing companies before entering academia, said he had not experienced anything like this in his career.

“I talked to a small company leader (of) 15 employees,” Williams said. “Very rarely do they have turnover, and they’ve had 50% turnover in the last two years.”

Another finding of the survey is that companies seem to apply the same recruiting, hiring and human resources practices to both production jobs and sales/administration jobs.

Moake said printing managers should rethink that approach.

Gina K. Logue, MTSU News and Media Relations specialist — Gina K. Logue

“These are two completely different types of jobs,” Moake said. “One’s related to sales, and one’s related to physical labor, and that’s two different workforces, two different skill sets.”

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, visit the searchable “Audio Clips” archives at www.mtsunews.com.

For more information about the radio program, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.