What Is the Future for Manufacturing Jobs?
Do You Have the Skills That Employers Need to Keep Pace?
As digitalization in industry accelerates, new skills are needed in manufacturing jobs. Understanding which skills are most in demand now, and which are likely to be sought after in the future will help you become the desired candidate for the most rewarding jobs in manufacturing.
You’ll be ahead of the curve in an industry that is suffering from a rapidly growing skills shortage.
Why the Skills Shortage?
A Deloitte study shows that the skills gap could leave as many as 2.4 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2028. This shortfall is produced by the collision of:
- The impending mass retirement of 2.7 million baby boomers
- The creation of around 700,000 new jobs because of economic growth
- A huge shortfall in education in STEM subjects
- Not enough on-the-job training
- The misperception of manufacturing as a ‘boring’ career choice
Filling this skills gap requires a concerted effort from government and industry. This will likely take many years to have a positive effect. Meanwhile, the opening for skilled employees in manufacturing could present many more career opportunities and high salary growth for the most in-demand manufacturing jobs.
What Are the Career-Enhancing Skills in Manufacturing Jobs?
As the manufacturing industry evolves, so too must its employees. Here are the skills employers desire from candidates for manufacturing jobs.
Adaptability
Above all else, employers now need individuals who are willing to adjust to continual change in their jobs.
Businesses are having to adjust quickly and constantly to how they operate in today’s world. They need the right team of people to ensure they thrive in a world in which manufacturing processes are developing rapidly.
Adaptability, and the desire to succeed in innovative settings will help you connect your knowledge and experience to your ability to deliver results.
Technology/Computer Skills
You’ll need a good foundational understanding in computer technology, or at least be willing to learn and feel confident in doing so.
You’ll certainly stand out from the competition if you have an understanding in how to design and manufacture products with computer-aided design software. If you don’t, your willingness to learn at speed and progress in a technical-based environment will be attractive to employers.
Digital Skills
Data and artificial intelligence are the future in manufacturing. They are game-changing technologies for the industry, but only if they’re supported and operated by knowledgeable people who can exploit them.
Skilled workers are needed to analyze, understand, and interpret data. This helps in a variety of applications and manufacturing jobs. If you have skills to analyze data and help to predict the future, then you could be a key employee now and in the future.
Programming Skills
Robots are a core necessity in manufacturing today. But they’re only effective when operated and maintained correctly.
The skill to correctly monitor the performance of automated robot technology is highly valued. Equally important is the ability to identify problem areas to optimize robot and machinery effectiveness.
Humans and robots need to walk hand in hand into the future of manufacturing.
Technology Tools Operation
Behind every great piece of technical equipment is a skilled worker who knows how to keep it operating perfectly.
Employers are keen to employ individuals who can use their knowledge confidently to interact with digital tools to support productivity and decision making within the business.
Critical Thinking Skills
If you’re technically minded, you’ll need to support this with critical thinking skills. Not everyone is a natural trouble-shooter, but employers need people who are able to identify technical and process problems and create solutions.
All the other skills we’ve mentioned will play a part in your critical thinking ability. You’ll possess the knowledge and understanding that will support your ability to think clearly and rationally. This will enable you to create a logical connection that prevents adverse outcomes and allows seamless operation.
Summing Up
We are experiencing increasing demand from employers of manufacturing jobs. The future of technology in manufacturing is changing at record speed, and businesses must keep pace. To do so, they need the right people who can work harmoniously and competently with technology, and thrive on the exciting and ever-changing future and possibilities it provides.
It’s no longer about simply filling a vacancy. Employers of manufacturing jobs want the right people who will play an integral part in the business’s future, and they’ll need these skills to do it.
Are you ready to create an exciting future in manufacturing? Contact Mac Incorporated today – employers are looking for you.
