Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Closing the Skills Gap in Manufacturing

The Manufacturing industry is experiencing an unprecedented labor shortage and the problem is about to worsen. According to a recent study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, Baby Boomer retirements coupled with economic expansion are predicted to result in two million manufacturing jobs going unfulfilled over the next decade.

Manufacturing will be heavily reliant on the Millennial generation to replace its aging workforce but faces significant hurdles, such as misperceptions about the industry as lacking in innovation and career opportunity. In fact, manufacturing ranks last as a career choice among Americans ages 19-33. The lack of skilled talent for the highly technical jobs needed in modern manufacturing compounds the issue. A decline in technical education in American high schools and a dearth of trade schools has created a drastic shortage of available, qualified talent.

To close the skills gap in manufacturing and to become employers of choice among Millennials, companies will need to follow these Five Strategies for Attracting & Keeping Younger Workers.

Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal, Interchange Group
Workforce Strategies for the New Economy