The skills gap is a real and significant hurdle facing manufacturing companies and other businesses here in the US. An estimated two to 2.4 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled in the next 8-10 years due mostly to a lack of skilled workers. This growing gap means job security for millennials who choose manufacturing and other blue collar positions.
That skills gap statistic is compounded by the fact that the average age of blue collar workers is older than the mean age of workers in general; as boomers retire, replacement workers are far fewer than needed. This is good news for millennials and others who wish to enter and contribute to the world of manufacturing.
Small and medium-sized employers are already supporting the steps needed to make a difference, such as apprenticeships, on-the-job training programs, flexible hours to enable the workforce to attend training, and more.
Is your shop helping close the gap?