The tight technical labour market: what you can do about it as an employer

Maintenance technician, electromechanic, project engineer: for years technical roles have topped the Belgian shortage occupation lists, and nothing points to a quick turnaround. The pond is not getting bigger. The difference is made by employers who adapt their approach instead of fishing harder in the same water.

Lever one: your list of requirements

Vacancies for shortage profiles often demand a degree, ten years of experience, three languages and experience with exactly your machine park. Every requirement that is not a genuine must halves your candidate pool. Ask for every line: can we teach this, or does it really have to be there on day one? A technician who doesn't know your PLC brand yet but has troubleshooting insight is up to speed in three months; a vacancy waiting for the perfect candidate is still open after a year. Also scrap the requirements that are there out of habit: the three languages never used in practice, the degree your best internal people don't have either.

Lever two: training as a recruitment strategy

Training a motivated career switcher from an adjacent sector, a school leaver or an operator with technical aptitude yourself builds more loyal employees than only looking for ready-made experience. It takes a mentor, a plan and patience, but it is often faster than a vacancy that stays open for a year, and cheaper than the downtime that continues meanwhile. Start small: one training slot per team, a clear competence track and a premium for the mentor who passes on their knowledge.

Lever three: being attractive to those not searching

Most technical talent is employed and not applying, but is open to a better story: more interesting technology, clear growth, transparent pay. You don't reach those people with a job board; you do with a targeted, personal approach and a story that holds up. So first make sure the story is there: a salary range in the vacancy, a concrete answer to what someone will have learned after two years, and an application process that closes in weeks instead of months.

Where we make the difference

Our daily work sits exactly at that third lever: we know the technicians and engineers who would move tomorrow for the right story, even if they haven't ticked job-seeking anywhere today. And because we know their doubts, we also know what your vacancy needs to answer to win them over.