Manufacturing - Endeavor Business Media
IndustryWeek
Sponsored by:
Overview
Key Presentations
Millennials + Gen Z
Strategies for Manufacturers
Managing Change
Tackling the Challenge
Talent Shortfall

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 EY Nottingham-Spirk innovation hub in Cleveland drew executives from leading companies engaged in manufacturing 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.

Guest Speakers of the Roundtable

Stephen Fuller
Partner,
Ernst & Young

 

Margaret Carlson

Senior Consultant,
Ernst & Young

Jake Hall
Creator,
The Manufacturing Millennial

Key Presentations

ADAPTIVE SKILLS PANEL

THE MANUFACTURING MILLENNIAL

THE MFG MILLENNIAL

Building the Manufacturing Sector of the Future through Adaptive Skills

What can companies do to tap into their current workforces to meet future needs?

ADAPTIVE SKILLS PANEL

THE MANUFACTURING MILLENNIAL

THE MFG MILLENNIAL

The Manufacturing Millennial

Engineer Jake Hall explains how younger people view manufacturing differently from older generations, how to reach those younger potential employees.

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
3%
2011**
7%
2022**
*Tallo Data Insight 2020 study. Where Does Gen Z Want to Work ** U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics

Why Millennials, Gen Z Say No to Manufacturing Jobs

Rigid Work Structures
Rigid Work Structures
Manufacturing HR managers say few people want to work 10-hour night shifts with mandatory overtime.
Dark, Dirty, Dangerous
Dark, Dirty, Dangerous
The industry’s reputation is still rooted in the 1950s, despite its high-tech present.
Fierce Competition for Talent
Fierce Competition for Talent
Every industry wants new people, from retail to tech to trucking to health care.
Lack of Diversity
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
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
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
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

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.

Speakers

Stephen Fuller
Partner,
Ernst & Young
Opens in a new window.
Margaret Carlson
Senior Consultant, People Advisory Services
Ernst & Young
Opens in a new window.
Jake Hall
Content Creator,
  The Manufacturing Millennial
Opens in a new window.

Additional Resources

How adaptive skills can play a pivotal role in building the manufacturing sector of the future
How adaptive skills can build the manufacturing sector of the future.

 
View ReportOpens in a new window.

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 ResourceOpens in a new window.