EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Taking Control of Talent

Executives from some of the largest manufacturers in the U.S. address the growing workforce challenge.

Rapidly changing market dynamics are accelerating Industry 4.0. How can you capitalize on these dynamics to transform your path forward?

Even if the economy slows, finding people to staff factories remains the biggest challenge for many manufacturers.

The Workplace Transformation Executive Roundtable held at the Nottingham-Spirk innovation hub in Cleveland drew executives from Timken, Lincoln Electric, Sherwin Williams, Lubrizol and several others to discuss the talent pipeline—arguably the biggest long-term challenge facing the industry. Top human resources and management leaders shared barriers to hiring the right people and accelerators helping them meet their staffing goals.

Key Presentations

Building the Manufacturing Sector of the Future through Adaptive Skills

How bad is the talent shortage problem, and what companies can do to tap into their current workforces to meet future needs?

The Manufacturing Millennial

Engineer Jake Hall explains how younger people view manufacturing differently from older generations, how to reach those younger potential employees and why your factory should be smarter than a toilet.

Speakers

Jake Hall

Content Creator,
The Manufacturing Millenial

Margaret Carlson

Senior Consultant, People Advisory Services
Ernst & Young

Stephen Fuller

Partner,
Ernst & Young

Why Millennials, Gen Z Say No to Manufacturing Jobs

Rigid Work Structures

Manufacturing HR managers say few people want to work 10-hour night shifts with mandatory overtime.

Dark, Dirty, Dangerous

The industry’s reputation is still rooted in the 1950s, despite its high-tech present.

Fierce Competition for Talent

Every industry wants new people, from retail to tech to trucking to health care.

Lack of Diversity

Job candidates are blunt about being uncomfortable not seeing people who look like them in many plants.

Strategies for Manufacturers

With job vacancies increasing in most industries, the battle for young workers promises to be intense in the coming years. Manufacturers will have to compete with tech companies, e-commerce warehouses, the gig economy, trucking and others that are all reaching out with career opportunities. Winning that battle will require creativity and commitment to change.

Stress STEM

Manufacturing is not a popular job option for young workers, but science and technology fields are. Manufacturers should stress the high-tech tools and modern methodologies they’re using.

Increase Flexibility

Young workers with family obligations benefit from flexible hours and work rules. Remote work isn’t often possible in manufacturing, but tailored work schedules are doable for many employers.

Adaptive Training

Millennials and Gen Z members learned how to do things on YouTube, not with manuals. Adapting training materials to video and interactive formats can better fit modern learning styles.

Embrace Diversity

HR leaders say many young interviewers notice and speak up when they don’t see workforces that reflect their communities during tours and interviews.

Managing Change

Listen to Employees

Listen to
Employees

Listen to Employees

People want to be heard and influence their working environments, and employee engagement fosters retention.

Stress Career Paths

Stress
Career Paths

Stress Career Paths

There are a lot of jobs in the current economy, but warehouse and retail jobs offer little opportunity to advance.

Encourage Employees to Recruit

Encourage
Employees to Recruit

Encourage Employees to Recruit

Engaged employees who love their jobs can be great recruiters. Several companies are using referral bonuses.

Model Good
Behavior

Model Good Behavior

Model Good
Behavior

Model Good Behavior

Don’t encourage employees to be adaptive then hit them with rigid rules. Demonstrate commitment to change.

Tackling the Challenge

Executives broke into two groups to discuss how to develop talent and how to rebuild trust with workers.

Finding people with the right skills has become more and more difficult each year, and several employers say they’re having more luck upskilling current workers through internal training programs or community colleges. The strategy carries risks as the retrained worker will be an attractive poaching target to competitors, so it’s important to pair upskilling with career development.

Manufacturing has earned its reputation as an industry that fires large numbers of workers when economic conditions get rough. To combat that, companies could consider making stronger commitments to job security. Career counselors have spent generations telling young people to expect to work for multiple employers in multiple industries. Employers can instead offer stability.

How Severe Is the Manufacturing Talent Shortfall?

Presenters at the roundtable shared data showing a tough labor market with little sign of easing soon.

Where Gen Z People Want to Work

36.6%

STEM*

3.5%

Manufacturing*

Unfilled Job Openings in Manufacturing

2011**

2022**

*Tallo Data Insight 2020 study. Where Does Gen Z Want to Work ** U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics

Additional Resources

Adaptive Skill Report

How adaptive skills can build the manufacturing sector of the future.

View Report

Humans at the Center

As business leaders accelerate the pace of transformation and transactions to drive value, those who take deliberate steps to manage people through the change are 2.6x more likely to be successful.

View Resource