Advanced Manufacturing in SC: Greenfield Startups & Expansions + Employee Engagement: A Key to Resilience During Challenging Times

Advanced manufacturing in SC: Greenfield startups & expansions

From 2017 to 2023, South Carolina saw the creation of 63,006 new advanced manufacturing jobs. As of 2024, SC ranks as the top state for manufacturing projects.

In the last week, the SC Department of Commerce announced several expansions and startups. Here are some highlights from their recent updates:

• Schneider Electric, a leader in energy management & automation, is expanding operations in Oconee & Richland counties with a combined investment of $23.8 million, 280 new jobs

• ElringKlinger Group, an automotive supplier, is establishing the company's first SC operation in Pickens County, a $40.3 million investment, 115 new jobs

• Princeton NuEnergy, an innovative clean tech company, selects Chester County to open the company's first SC operation, a $11 million investment, 41 new jobs

Advanced manufacturing is rapidly growing in the Palmetto State, generating jobs and investments that continue to drive our economy forward. Is your facility considering an expansion or starting a new venture? HTI is the Southeast's leading staffing partner.

Employee engagement: A key to resilience during challenging times

Gallup recently shared a key insight into the global workforce: the link between employee engagement and business performance tends to be more pronounced during economic recessions.

Put simply, engaged employees tend to increase their efforts during tough times, while disengaged employees may feel they have less agency to overcome such challenges.

This raises an interesting theory: Companies with more engaged employees could be more resilient during disruptive times such as recessions or other hardships in the workplace.

At HTI, we understand that grasping employee engagement can seem abstract, but we watch this topic closely, partnering with employers to enhance engagement across teams. Discover strategies to combat disengagement in your company.

2024 Competitiveness agenda from SC Chamber of Commerce

SC Chamber of Commerce recently released its Competitiveness Agenda for 2024, outlining specific issues relevant to business leaders across the state.

Their #1 proposal? Establishing a flourishing and resilient talent pipeline. This initiative aims to address "current and future workforce shortages by continuing to provide funding for technical college scholarships for critical needs jobs, and other workforce development initiatives".

Additionally, they seek to bridge the gap between the education and business sectors to ensure that in-demand skills emphasized by employers are integrated into educational curricula.

Securing a strong talent pipeline for the current workforce and future workforce remains imperative.

Staying competitive with benefits packages

SHRM released its 2024 Employee Benefits Survey, providing insights into top-rated benefit offerings to help companies stay competitive.

In their "Employer-Rated Importance of Benefit Categories", employers rated certain benefits as "very important" or "extremely important". Below are the top 6 rated benefits.

• Health-related benefits were rated very important by 88% of employers

• Retirement savings and planning benefits: 81%

• Leave benefits: 81%

• Flexible working benefits: 70%.

• Family-friendly benefits: 67%

• Professional & career development benefits: 65%

In a tight labor market, companies that stay creative with benefits beyond traditional offerings will lead the way in attraction and retention. Are your benefits packages up to date and competitive? HTI can help.

How much time do employees spend working at home vs. in the workplace?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics just issued their American Time Use Survey. Their data includes the average amount of time per day in 2023 that individuals worked as well as other statistics regarding time spent at work.

Here are some of their findings:

• 35% of those employed did some or all of their work at home while 73% of those employed did some or all of their work at the workplace

• On average, employees working from home did so for 5.1 hours on the days they worked, and those working at their workplace averaged 7.9 hours

• The share of employees who spent time working at home on the days they worked was roughly the same in 2023 (35%) as in 2022 (34%)

• In 2019, before the pandemic, only 24% of employed individuals spent time working at home on days they worked