Manufacturing is one of the most important industries in the world and our culture. When you think of the word “work,” you probably imagine workers on an assembly line like in the classic cartoons and TV shows where Donald Duck, Charlie Chaplin, and Lucille Ball worked (or were comically overwhelmed) on a production line.
The manufacturing industry has changed immensely since then, especially in the last 30 years, with the introduction of workforce software that changes how we communicate and automation that changes the way we work. Where hands and fingers once did the intricate manufacturing work, now it’s often complex machines guided by human touch.
It would be easy to assume these innovations have only bolstered manufacturing, but the extra training and technical expertise workers need to thrive in a more automated environment also creates barriers to hiring. Along with increasing retirements from older generations of employees, it has contributed to a massive shortage of skilled labor.
How massive? Current estimates suggest there is a global shortage of manufacturing workers, which will create a job gap of 2.1 million positions by 2030.
Where have all these workers gone? And how can companies entice them back to manufacturing with the help of comprehensive workforce solutions and employee management software that proves it’s one of the steadiest, most exciting industries around?
