Manufacturing jobs are back on American soil. The factories are running. The roles are open. 

But the workers? They’re missing.

In this solo episode, Tim Sackett unpacks the growing gap between opportunity and desire in today’s labor market. Why did generations of proud factory families embrace these jobs – and why do today’s young workers turn away? 

From cultural shifts and education gaps to lifestyle choices and societal stigma, Tim explores the uncomfortable reasons behind this silent rejection.

Is it a temporary hesitation… or a permanent shift? 

And if manufacturing jobs no longer inspire the next workforce, what does that mean for America’s future?

Chapters:

00:00:00 – Intro  

00:03:02 – Should America bring back manufacturing?

00:07:44 – The pride and reality of factory jobs

00:12:40 – Why younger generations don’t want these jobs

00:20:54 – Ghost towns and the cost of offshoring

00:22:58 – The recruiting tech problem: why all-in-one dominates

00:26:48 – Can point solutions survive in HR tech?

I did a brief stint in the casual dining industry. My friends laugh at me when I bring up old HR war stories from my days at Applebee’s, but the reality is I loved that work. Over the years, I’ve tried to figure out why. 

First, it was a constant challenge. The moment you figured out one location, another one needed help. Second, I loved the people. Guest service-focused. They wanted to deliver an experience people enjoyed. I love eating out, and so do so many people. It was an experience you could immediately relate to. So given my background and personal affinity towards the restaurant industry, I was immediately intrigued when I saw the National Restaurant Association recently released its Workforce Technology Report, discussing the challenges the industry faces today. The report served talent leaders from 17 different major restaurant organizations, including Chipotle, Potbelly, and Flynn Group (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s). 

Turns out, not much has changed since I left Applebee’s:

• High turnover
• Hard to recruit
• Hard to retain your best

Over 75% of restaurant leaders say recruiting and retaining employees are a “significant” challenge to their business. If you’ve been to a restaurant since the pandemic, you’ve probably seen this in action. You see full sections of a restaurant open, but you can’t be seated. Signs saying “please be patient,” so you try to find a manager to speak to but you can’t find one because the manager is probably on the line helping cook everyone’s meals.

I had a field operations leader I used to work with who loved telling his general managers, “Staff for the business you want, not the business you have!” The point being, if a customer comes in and has a bad experience because we’re understaffed, they probably don’t come back. You saved a little bit of money by running lean, but you cost yourself a returning customer. Sure, it costs a little more to be properly staffed, but you can then deliver an amazing experience, and those people will keep coming back multiple times.

Given all the challenges, it feels like most restaurants today aren’t appropriately staffed. I have some ideas on how to fix that… 

Click here for the fix! (Ugh, don’t you just hate clickbait!?!)

I had to do this one for the kids.

Too often, I make pop culture references from the late 80s and 90s and it’s lost on too many people. Too many times I’ll say the phrase, “Because I’m good enough, and I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” The GenXers know this as daily affirmations with Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live.

So, why not Daily Affirmations from Tim Sackett? I’m also not a licensed therapist or even a Life Coach!

So, here goes –

You deserve hiring manager feedback.

There I said it! It’s out in the open.

For too long, we’ve beaten ourselves up, thinking it must be something we’ve done. Maybe we are unlovable. Perhaps we just aren’t pretty enough.

Well, I’m here to say you are lovable and gorgeous! It’s not us. It’s them!

We aren’t some second-class peer. We’re a full, first-class peer like everyone else. You know who doesn’t deserve our best candidates?! Yeah, those managers who don’t give us feedback. We need to just stick those good candidates back in that super secret good candidates folder we hide away for those special times when we get real pressure!

So, next time you don’t get the manager feedback you need on a candidate, you tell them they’re no longer getting your best talent!

Because you’re good enough, and you’re smart enough, and doggone it, candidates like you!

AI agents aren’t coming for recruiting.

They’re already here – and they don’t care how many reqs you filled last quarter. In this episode, Tim Sackett sits down with Jason Roberts, SVP of Tech & Analytics at Cielo, to break down what AI is actually doing inside RPOs and staffing firms – and why the old recruiting playbook is about to get torched.

From sourcing automation that 5x’s recruiter output to building a fully operational AI agent of yourself, Jason pulls back the curtain on the tools reshaping talent acquisition in real-time.

They talk agentic workflows, how execs are chasing 50% AI-driven recruiting models, and why most CRMs still suck. The future of recruiting isn’t theoretical – it’s operational. And if you think your job’s safe because you “build relationships”?

Think again.

Chapters:

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:33 – Intro: Tim Sackett Welcomes Jason Roberts from Cielo

00:03:14 – The Agent Idea: AI That Calls You Like an Assistant

00:04:37 – What Agents Actually Do (vs. ChatGPT)

00:06:57 – The Difference Between LLMs and Agentic AI

00:10:32 – Building Digital Clones of Yourself and Loved Ones

00:14:41 – The Future of RPO: 50% AI-Driven Recruiting?

00:18:61 → (Adjusted to 19:01) – Why Some Tools Are Winning: Paradox, HireEZ & CRM Simplicity

00:22:35 – Why Campus Recruiting Still Sucks

00:26:26 – The Only Recruiting Metric That Matters: Hires

00:29:37 – Automation vs. Human Touch in Recruiting

00:32:43 – The Real Value of RPOs and Performance Gaps

00:37:36 – Why TA Leaders Need to Know Their Capacity

00:42:10 – Tech Makes Average Recruiters Great – If Managers Know How to Use It

00:45:00 – Favorite AI Recruiting Tools: SourceEngage, HireEZ & CodeSignal

00:49:04 – Where to Find Jason (and Tim)

Next Connect with Jason Roberts –

Follow Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasrober

Learn more about Cielo: https://www.cielotalent.com