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How to Overcome the Skills Shortage: Make Manufacturing Jobs More Attractive

By Alex Oliver

By 2030 there will be an estimated 4 million open manufacturing jobs -- 1.5 million because of industry growth and 2.5 million because of retirements.1 Because many of these will center around advancing technology, there will be increased demand for highly skilled and specialized talent. Currently, the U.S. manufacturing sector is on track to fill only about 1.9 million of those jobs, which will leave about 2.1 million quality, well-paying jobs unfilled at the end of this decade.

This labor shortage looms on the horizon at a time when many U.S. manufacturers are looking to increase domestic manufacturing as one way to improve the agility and resiliency of their supply chains. It's hard, though, for a manufacturing plant to compete with a nearby technology metropolis where employers promise hybrid work, flexible hours, and a range of perks big and small. But with a little creativity, manufacturers can appeal to a wide range of potential talent that have never considered the industry.

Highlight meaning and purpose

One of the big reasons workers aren't drawn to manufacturing is that they believe factory floors are noisy, hot, and loud -- a perception that is mostly outdated yet still often true. At the same time, younger workers tend to be drawn to the businesses that seek to "change the world" and have big recognizable logos with flowery language about leading the way into the future and making an impact. As the workforce shrinks and automation increases, industrial chemical plants and companies that assemble polymer injection molds, produce roof insulation, or engage in other manufacturing activities are increasingly in direct competition with those "change the world" types in big cities around the world.

In fact, the most difficult to fill roles in the manufacturing sector are engineers, whose positions can take as much as double the time to fill as those of assemblers and fabricators.2 Engineers with the right skills can have their pick of where they want to work. Companies that want to attract them can fight a bidding war -- or they can change the conversation and appeal to their desire to build, design, and create physical, tangible products. Going forward, manufacturers that want to compete successfully for talent will have much better luck if they flip the script and highlight how they offer creative, innovative, and rewarding careers with the companies that build the world and keep the lights on.

Consider the Creator Wanted campaign (a partnership between the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute), which "aims to reduce the skills gap in the United States by 600,000, as well as increase the number of students enrolling in technical and vocational schools or reskilling programs by 25 percent and increase the positive perception of the industry among parents to 50 percent from 27 percent."3 Using storytelling to fight the perception that manufacturing is tedious and unglamorous, it recasts the industry as the unsung hero of modern life and the economy. For example, one Creators Wanted project told the story of how manufacturers found creative ways to get toilet paper back on the empty shelves during spring 2020, despite pandemic restrictions and strained supply lines.4

Such stories convey a simple message: a career in manufacturing is essential and creative, and people who work in that industry get opportunities to engage in problem solving and do something that makes a difference. Considering that "having a positive impact on society" can significantly improve American workers' feelings about their jobs, these kinds of stories can help companies attract and retain skilled workers.5

Shift the focus from retention to attraction

The growing skills gap has been a slow-moving crisis in manufacturing, where until recently companies haven't really had to worry much about finding new workers. Unlike retail or healthcare, two industries in which turnover is high and workers are more willing to change employers for marginal pay increases, manufacturing as a whole has never really struggled with retention. This success with retention is due partly to generational factors: many manufacturing employees are Baby Boomers, who may be more inclined to stick around for the job security and solid benefits that careers in manufacturing typically offer.

Given a long enough timeline, retention will eventually become a problem when those long-time employees retire. The manufacturing sector's noisy production floors will become a lot quieter over the next few years unless companies can replace those retirees with younger workers.

To attract younger candidates, companies need to connect to what drives them. At this point in many Millennials' professional lives, for example, they may be motivated by opportunities for rapid career advancement (perhaps through job hopping). The challenge is to convince them that manufacturing offers a chance at a successful career.

The oldest members of the next generation, Generation Z, are just starting to graduate and enter the workforce. Because the pandemic has scrapped some their plans and delayed others, recent graduates may be more open-minded and pragmatic about finding a job today than they were just a few years ago. This presents an opportunity for companies to pull in talented candidates who, for the time being at least, care more about working at all than about where they work.

Think differently

If there was ever a time for the manufacturing sector to rebrand itself, this is it. By emphasizing the industry as place where people can find creative, fulfilling careers doing honest work that benefits employees' communities and needs to be done, companies can communicate a message that will help them find the workers they need to bridge the skills gap.


1 Paul Wellener et al. 2021. "Creating Pathways for Tomorrow's Workforce Today: Beyond Reskilling in Manufacturing." Deloitte Consulting LLP..

2iCIMS. 2019. "Fill Your Specialized Manufacturing Roles, Fast." iCIMS website, www.icims.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Fill-Your-Specialized-Positions_Infographic-Manufacturing_v1_KL.pdf.

3Creators Wanted. Undated. "About Creators Wanted." Creators Wanted website, www.creatorswanted.org/about-creators-wanted.

4Creators Wanted. 2020. "On a Roll: How Manufacturers Solved the 2020 Toilet Paper Shortage." Creators Wanted website, April 27, creatorswanted.org/on-a-roll-how-manufacturers-solved-the-2020-toilet-paper-shortage.

5Nina McQueen. 2018. "Workplace Culture Trends: The Key to Hiring (and Keeping) Top Talent in 2018." LinkedIn blog, June 26, blog.linkedin.com/2018/june/26/workplace-culture-trends-the-key-to-hiring-and-keeping-top-talent..

About the author:

As a content creator at iCIMS, Alex Oliver is well-versed in content and digital marketing from B2B and B2C organizations big and small.