Nashville’s Light Manufacturing Hiring Challenges — And How Local Staffing Solves Them

Downtown Nashville.

Light manufacturing continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries in Middle Tennessee — but it’s also one of the hardest to staff. Nashville-area employers are feeling the pressure as production demands rise while the available labor pool shrinks.

Why Light Manufacturing Hiring Is So Hard Right Now

Across Tennessee, manufacturers report challenges including:

• High turnover

• Attendance issues

• Competition with warehouse and logistics wages

• Shift availability

• Skill gaps in machine operation or assembly

• Seasonal surges without consistent pipelines

Even large employers in Nashville, Smyrna, Mt. Juliet, and La Vergne struggle to attract dependable workers.

Local staffing is now a competitive advantage.

Because manufacturing demands move fast, companies need workers who can:

✔️ Start quickly
✔️ Pass background checks
✔️ Show up consistently
✔️ Stay long-term
✔️ Follow safety protocols

ReliaStaff’s local approach solves this by offering:

• A vetted pool of candidates

• Legal-to-work employees

• Nashville-based sourcing

• Real human screening (not automated filters)

• Workers who understand expectations before day one

Why Nashville manufacturers trust a local, founder-led team

Large national staffing firms often overlook smaller or mid-sized Tennessee facilities.
Local agencies like ReliaStaff specialize in:

• Knowing the Nashville labor market

• Understanding local pay expectations

• Building real relationships with plant managers

• Providing on-call support when shifts change last minute

The result?
Better attendance.
Better retention.
Better production output.