In the Sept. 18, 2020, session of the “National Conversation with Manufacturers,” our three West Coast manufacturing leaders on the panel kept coming back to their critical need for skilled workers.
The conversation was one in a series of 11 virtual listening sessions hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP). The purpose of the listening sessions was learning how small and medium-sized manufacturers across the country have been handling the near-term jolt from the COVID-19 pandemic and preparing for success in the long-term.
Nationally, much attention has been paid to a reported dearth of workers with the skills to operate in an increasingly technologically advanced production environment, as well as a need for skilled younger workers to replace experienced workers nearing retirement age across multiple trades and industries. The manufacturing executives participating in the conversation echoed this need. Singled out as particularly difficult to find were workers with the combined electrical and mechanical aptitude to fill the role of maintenance technician. “It’s very difficult to find people that have that experience and broad knowledge of hydraulics, building facilities, mechanics, that kind of stuff,” one manufacturing executive said. “So, yeah, if you do find a good one, you treat them very well.”
Yet, the participants indicated that finding skilled workers is only part of the manufacturing workforce challenge. Attracting entry-level applicants willing to do the work, put in the hours and stick with the schedule that the manufacturing environment requires remains an obstacle, they said. This challenge continues despite high levels of unemployment due to the pandemic and the subsequent economic slowdown.
Two of the manufacturers have seen demand for their products increase during the pandemic. They have added evening and weekend shifts to keep up with demand but have found staffing non-standard work hours particularly difficult. They see the challenge as partly temporary, as participants stated that the federal subsidy for unemployment benefits in response to the pandemic-induced economic downturn provides little incentive to take entry-level jobs paying modest wages. These manufacturing executives also see the challenge as partly generational in that parents, schools, and society have not always encouraged young people to pursue manufacturing as a career path.
