Mike Tomaso

Interviewed dozens of Quality Directors across Texas last month. Compensation needs a reality check. Here's what the market actually looks like right now: Quality Director compensation in Texas (2025 data): → 25th percentile: $84,800 → Average: $125,445 → 75th percentile: $140,700 → Top earners (90th): $177,480+ But here's the problem: ➡️ Most manufacturers are offering bottom-quartile packages while expecting top-quartile results. We lost 3 excellent candidates last week because client competitors moved faster AND paid 20-30% more. The real cost of low-balling quality leadership: ➡️ Nearly 70% of manufacturing HR leaders report that labor shortages impact their ability to meet production demands. ➡️ 40% experience production delays at least once per week. ➡️ The cost of poor quality (scrap, rework, customer complaints) typically runs 10-15% of total operational costs, often millions per year. Your quality metrics suffer when you: ➡️ Offer 25th percentile pay for 90th percentile talent ➡️ Drag out the hiring process while competitors move in days ➡️ Ignore market realities The cost of scrap, rework, and customer complaints from quality gaps? ➡️ Way more than the $15K-$30K you're trying to save on salary. When was the last time you benchmarked your leadership compensation against market data? #QualityManagement #ManufacturingJobs #CompensationTrends #TexasManufacturing #QualityLeadership Sources: ZipRecruiter TX Salary Data Oct 2025; Indeed Career Insights 2025; HR Dive Manufacturing Labor Study 2024; ASQ Cost of Quality Research 2025

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The Mid-Market Growth Paradox: When the Controller Job Becomes Three Jobs. For Texas manufacturing or construction firms experiencing rapid growth, a common challenge arises: the Controller is not just managing their role but also acting as a Cost Accountant, Project Finance Manager, and FP&A Director. As these companies expand with new facilities and face complex inventory tracking, transactional work often overwhelms strategic planning. The hidden cost of this situation goes beyond salary; it results in delayed strategy. As Q1 approaches, consider whether your finance team has the capacity to transition from basic reporting to effectively optimizing profit per project. #TexasFinance #Controller #ManufacturingFinance #FPNA #MidMarket

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The difference between Talent Acquisition vs Staffing Agencies? Reactivity vs Proactivity TA is great if used correctly, but 99% of companies out there don't understand how to utilize them. High quantity positions that can afford to be reactive are phenomenal for TA to work on and fill. High level, niche roles can start to be worked on by TA for a period of time (dependent on urgency level), but those really should be given to a staffing agency that specializes in that sector and ideally has the relationships to identify the ideal candidate quickly and efficiently. In summary- "saving cost" by avoiding agencies can be doable, but don't shoot yourself in the foot by sending your TA team to war with a butter knife as they just flat out don't have the resources or head start that agency recruiters have! #staffing #recruiting

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Just released! Houston continues to see steady activity in the finance and accounting job market but hiring managers are being strategic and selective in who they hire. The job search lifecycle is taking longer than expected for some. The #BLS reports that U.S. employers expanded payrolls by 139,000 jobs in May, just above economists' predictions of 125,000 jobs. Read more in the #RobertHalf blog: https://bit.ly/3ZHfz4z

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🔍Quick Job Search Tip: If you're actively exploring new opportunities in the Houston market, consider expanding your search to include hybrid roles- even if your initial preference is fully remote. 💡 Many companies in Houston are offering flexible hybrid schedules (2–3 days in office) to attract top talent while maintaining collaboration. These roles often come with strong compensation packages and leadership visibility that can accelerate career growth. 📌 Pro Tip: When applying, highlight your adaptability and experience working in both remote and in-office environments. Employers value professionals who can thrive in dynamic settings. If you're looking for your next move in accounting or finance, feel free to connect. I’m happy to share insights and opportunities!

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The U.S. staffing market isn’t broken, it’s resetting. Hiring is slower. Approvals take longer. Budgets are tighter. But demand for critical talent hasn’t disappeared, accountability has increased. Hiring leaders want: • Fewer resumes, better fits • Predictable timelines and costs • Partners who own outcomes, not just submissions Agencies today aren’t judged on fills alone. They’re judged on retention, performance, and whether the hire actually moves the business forward. At Ari Walsh Staffing, this is exactly the environment we’re built for. Discipline, process, and transparency create predictability and predictability is what leaders value most right now. This reset will reward firms that know their niche, control time and cost, and play the long game.

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Think staffing agencies are too expensive? Think again. The real cost of hiring includes not just salary—but time spent interviewing, onboarding, and worst of all—replacing a bad hire. Agencies help reduce those risks. We identify the right candidates the first time, lowering turnover and boosting retention. You also avoid costs from job ad spend, tech tools, and time lost from unfilled roles. Plus, we offer flexible options like contract, temp-to-hire, or direct hire—so you only pay for what you need. In the long run, working with a staffing agency doesn’t just save money—it adds value to your business.

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TA/Recruiter job openings in the U.S. continue to climb (surprisingly!) For the first time in nearly three years, postings are holding steady above the 45,000 mark. The sharpest demand we’re seeing is from clients in Data Centers, AI, Aerospace Engineering, and VC-backed and pre-IPO tech. What’s especially interesting: this strength in TA roles is happening at the same time overall U.S. job openings are trending down (per the latest JOLTs report). August’s jobs report showed just 22K new jobs created nationwide, yet demand for recruiters is starting to surge. Why? My hunch: - Lowering interest rates are fueling capital expenditures in tech - IPO activity is picking up - VC funding is flowing again - Companies are positioning for broad hiring in tech Recruiting is often the “canary in the coal mine” for hiring cycles. If this momentum holds, it could signal a broader acceleration in tech hiring heading into 2026. 👉 Do you think this trend continues?

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The One Thing Most Staffing Firms Are Still Getting Wrong Just wrapped ASA Staffing World 2025, where I joined Kyle Decker (Riley Decker Companies), Jason Leverant (AtWork Group), and Sara Luchsinger, CSP Luchsinger (SEEK Careers/Staffing) for a panel on industrial staffing's future — facilitated by the sharp Analisa Gutierrez (Summit Staffing). The room was packed. The topic: "Back to the Future: What Light Industrial Staffing Can Learn from the Past." Here's what struck me: Everyone agrees AI matters. Almost no one is acting like it. We talk about AI transforming recruiting, but most firms are still running 2015 playbooks with a chatbot bolted on. That's not transformation, that's expensive decoration. The gap isn't technology. It's training. Your recruiters don't need to fear AI, they need to know what to do with it. The firms winning right now aren't the ones with the biggest tech stack. They're the ones teaching their teams to work with automation, not around it. Second takeaway: Speed doesn't matter if they quit in 30 days. We've spent 20 years optimizing time-to-fill. Meanwhile, clients quietly started measuring success by Day 91, not Day 1. That shift changes everything about how we source, screen, and support placements. Retention isn't a bonus metric anymore; it's the whole game. Third: The past has one lesson we keep ignoring. Every downturn exposes the same vulnerability: firms that treat recruiting as transactional get crushed. Firms that build relationships survive. AI can handle transactions. Relationships? That's still your competitive moat. Thanks to ASA and my fellow panelists for pushing this conversation. What's the uncomfortable truth you're seeing that the industry isn't talking about yet? I'm collecting these for a deeper piece on what's actually shifting in industrial staffing right now. #StaffingWorld #IndustrialStaffing #AIinRecruiting #RetentionFirstRecruiting

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January jobs report dropped yesterday. Here’s what actually matters. U.S. added 130,000 jobs in January and unemployment ticked down to 4.3%. 2025 payrolls were revised lower. On the surface, steady. Most gains came from: → Health care → Social assistance → Construction Federal hiring declined and financial roles softened. The main takeaway is this growth comes with the caveat that job creation concentrates in a few sectors. When prior months get revised down, confidence in forward hiring weakens. If revisions continue downward, expect: → Longer approval cycles → More “open but pending” reqs → Higher bar for backfills This is not the collapse many were expecting. 📌 Do you see the market is finally stabilizing or is this the first stage of a broader slowdown?

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