For those of us close to the industry, the evolution of manufacturing careers is obvious. But new manufacturing career opportunities haven’t gotten enough attention.
Even with automation, the human factor in manufacturing operations remains as critical as ever. For example, I recently met with a manufacturer who invested in automation but struggles to find a person to program the machines.
What many people don’t know is that automation has improved the kind of work available in manufacturing. Manufacturers need highly skilled workers able to think critically and operate within digitized and automated environments.
This isn’t just talk. The data backs it up.
The latest research by Neil Ridley of Georgetown University shows that cross-cutting skills have become essential.
Manufacturing work activities that appear across many manufacturing career profiles.
Manufacturing remains one of the few industries where workers can earn a good living without a college degree. Below are the 2019 median pay and education requirements for in-demand jobs.
The take-away – technology advancements have removed many of the tedious, repetitive tasks from workers. We’re seeing a premium on higher-level skills with the evolution of manufacturing careers.
Now that you’ve seen the data, please share it! Young people and Millennial career changers need to recalibrate their ‘brand perception’ of working in manufacturing from the 1960s or 70s to 2021. Let’s all spread the word to foster the health and growth of our manufacturing sector.
–parin
Managing Partner
Image source: IBISWorld
With over two decades of experience, Parin leads an expert demand-generation agency, StratMg, that helps industrial manufacturing clients achieve unambiguous and quantified organic sales growth across the US, EMEA & APAC.
Parin has built & positioned StratMg to be a value-added marketing services provider that strives to create a culture of quantified sales-driven marketing initiatives leading to sustained business growth through channel management, diversification, new customer acquisition and retention strategies and tactical execution.
