No one in our industry is surprised by the events and challenges that are coming together now and demanding more of us than at any time since the COVID shutdowns in 2020 – or even since the Great Recession.
For one thing, as many as 2.2 million baby boomers have exited the workforce in the past year. Some of your long-time employees have likely left the building, taking valuable know-how and talent with them.
For another, manufacturing doesn’t attract young workers. As many as 500,000 manufacturing jobs are vacant today, including machinist, technician, and production specialist positions. According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), up to 4.6 million jobs need to be filled by 2030 – and 2.1 million likely won’t be filled.
And finally, the reshoring initiatives and supply chain reconfigurations taking place in the United States are increasing the need for domestic production operations. While automation will handle some of the new production demands, facilities still need staff, as well as on-site personnel capable of setting up, operating, and maintaining the automation equipment.
People and talent are in short supply, but addressed correctly, that shortage won’t be your problem – it will be somebody else’s.
Let’s face it: Challenges are nothing new in this industry.
People have been retiring for ages. This isn’t a new phenomenon.
Getting people to take jobs in manufacturing has always been a tough sell.
Reshoring may be happening with more vigor than in the past, but that just means that more opportunities are available for capable businesses.
Some people and organizations look at challenges as surmountable bumps in the road, while others see them as impassable barriers. The first move forward. The second stands still – until the lights go out.
One of the things I’ve observed while traveling across the United States and around the world is that some shops are magnets for talent. These are operations that people – yes, even young people – want to work at. Some of these companies are startups, so the issue of losing longtime employees to retirement isn’t a concern. However, more than a few have been in business for decades, and they attract the best and brightest not because they pay more than the brand-name company across town, but because they offer better, more fulfilling opportunities.
A lot of people in my generation – and I’m sure yours – got into manufacturing because we found it interesting, to say nothing of its financial rewards. Today, the places that attract people are positioning their companies as doing “cool” work – beyond just “interesting.”
Don’t get me wrong. These companies are doing serious things, but the way they go at it – with advanced manufacturing equipment and organizational structures that allow individuals not only to grow but to excel – makes a huge difference.
The people who run these companies recognize that change isn’t something that happens now and then; instead, change needs to be anticipated and handled while it is still an opportunity and not an obstacle. Thinking that doing “what got us here” will be more than adequate in the future is far too easy. That’s simply not the case.
The reality is, every single manufacturing company consists of three elements: physical structures, equipment and tooling, and people. Yet some are advancing, while others aren’t. And that’s because of another element: the way the organization’s leaders deploy those elements, especially the last one – the people.
One of the mantras I’ve relied on throughout my career is “I can’t guarantee employment, but I can guarantee employability.”
Stuff that happens outside of our control can cause job losses. That’s a fact of business. As a leader, my job is to help people become better than they were when they first joined the organization – make them more capable, more employable. (Not that I want good people to leave, but that, too, is a fact of business.)
In September, IMTS 2026 opens in Chicago. People from all over the world will see the most advanced manufacturing technologies ever created. Some of these people will represent various functions within their organization – machinists, maintenance, management, etc. They will be organized into teams and tasked with discovering the technologies and solutions that can help move their companies forward or gain momentum. They will take their responsibilities seriously – but in some ways, they will also be like kids in a candy shop, wowed and even overwhelmed by all the cool stuff on display. Yes, these people have jobs. Yes, these people work. But importantly, these people are engaged.
Organizations with people like that will be successful now and in the future. With clear focus, objectives, and empowerment, with forward motion – either in inches or in miles – any company can become an organization like that. What’s stopping yours?
To read the rest of the Industry Updates Issue of MT Magazine, click here.
