The manufacturing industry today has a growing challenge: filling critical roles with trained, capable workers.

Across the country, manufacturing is facing one of the most significant labor shortages in decades. As of July 2025, there were 437,000 manufacturing job openings in the U.S., according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

Nearly one quarter of the manufacturing workforce is age 55 or older, and experienced tradespeople are retiring faster than they can be replaced, creating urgent openings in shops and plants nationwide. A report from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute estimates that more than 2 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030.

The manufacturing industry is clearly in need of fresh talent, and the next generation is stepping up. More young people are choosing trade and vocational schools over college, which is why Generation Z—people born between 1997 and 2012—is being called “the toolbelt generation.”

Tony Schmitz, a distinguished technical fellow on MSC’s Manufacturing Research and Technology team, shares four reasons that Gen Z should consider careers in manufacturing.

No. 1: Hands-On Meets High-Tech

Gen Z is interested in careers that blend traditional hands-on expertise with technology, says Schmitz. “Manufacturing uniquely combines the digital and physical, which matches the intent of the toolbelt generation,” he says.

“In machining, for example, we design a part using computer-aided design software. Based on the design, we select cutting tools and generate toolpaths to remove material from the original stock and realize the part geometry. We then transition to the physical domain, where we use those toolpaths as instructions for a CNC machining center. This is a workflow that requires both digital and physical skills.”

Working with robots is another example of a manufacturing job responsibility that leverages both the digital and physical, Schmitz says. “Industrial robots offer repeatable activities to be programmed and executed,” he says. “This amplifies the skill set that’s required for next-generation workers.”

Read more: From Blue Collar to New Collar: Training Manufacturing Technologists

No. 2: AI-Proof Career Options

As with most industries, artificial intelligence has impacted the manufacturing world by helping to optimize computer numerically controlled machines, robotics, and other automated systems in order to make production faster and more precise. But AI will never be able to replicate the hands-on problem-solving that remains a critical part of manufacturing jobs, Schmitz says.

“AI is great at using a data set to learn relationships between a complex set of inputs and outputs, but humans remain the leaders in innovation,” he says.

No. 3: Long-Term Opportunities in an Essential Sector

Manufacturing remains a cornerstone of the U.S. economy. It drives innovation, exports and high-quality jobs, and contributes roughly 10 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product.

“A strong economy must include domestic manufacturing capabilities,” Schmitz says. “The notion that we will be successful as a service economy alone and that manufacturing can be moved offshore has been exposed as ill-advised.”

Read more: How Machining Shops Can Overcome Labor Shortages

No. 4: No College Degree (or Debt) Required

According to the College Board, the average cost of one year of college in 2024-2025 ranged from $11,610 for public in-state tuition to $43,350 for private school. Rising tuition rates are a big reason that young people are opting out of traditional college to pursue skilled trades, apprenticeships or other nondegree paths.

Schmitz says that while a college education can still provide value for those interested in careers in manufacturing, “I am supportive of clear pathways into the manufacturing workforce, whether or not that pathway includes a degree.”

Recommended reading: How Gen Z Influencers Are Shaping Workplace Health