Narrowing the Manufacturing Skills Gap in the Wake of the Silver Tsunami

As predicted, baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are retiring in droves. In the third quarter of 2020 alone, 28.6 million boomers reported their exit from the workforce, representing a 3.2 million (12%) increase from the same period in 2019. At the same time, the industry has been growing — 1.96 million new manufacturing jobs must be created by 2028 to support the industry’s expansion. To complicate matters even further, younger people are not particularly fond of the idea of working in the industry.

In order to overcome the talent shortage, manufacturers should focus their efforts on catering to and understanding younger generations, highlighting the positive tech-driven changes the fourth industrial revolution brings to the industry, and ensuring a smooth transfer of knowledge from the baby boomer generation.

Readers will also learn about:

• Reshoring trends in the industry
• Economic implications of the talent shortage
• Hiring younger people and their workplace values
• Using Salesforce to ensure a robust onboarding and training experience