In 2022 job openings are at record highs, which is excellent news if you’re on the job search.
But it’s not so great if you’re in the manufacturing industry trying to fill entry-level roles.
According to the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, around 11 million positions are open in the United States. However, there are 5 million fewer people employed than before the onset of the pandemic. Manufacturing is one of the hardest-hit industries, but it doesn’t come as a surprise. Filling the manufacturing worker shortage was an issue even in 2018.
Competition
One of the main problems of the manufacturing worker shortage is competition. As the Baby Boomer generation heads closer to retirement, studies have shown younger generations gravitate to jobs with a technology focus. Mammoth companies such as Amazon attract young talent right out of high school with offers that can be pretty enticing for recent graduates. It’s harder for some manufacturing companies to compete with the hourly rates of Amazon, Wal-Mart and the like.
In turn, mid-level jobs become hard to fill since they typically require a few years of hands-on experience and, in some instances, even certifications.
Perception
There is a fear that “robots are taking over.” Of course, this is not true. While robots can handle mundane tasks such as packing boxes – they cannot address problems like an engineer or operator. In fact, robotic machinery and the digital transformation in manufacturing can help utilize workers in more enjoyable and error-proof roles, which is where Automation Intellect can help.
Solution
Automation Intellect encourages manufacturers to combat these issues in a few ways.
The first step is recognizing that data is available from your automated equipment. It doesn’t take much to act on this data if you have the right solution and a dedicated team in place to help provide actionable insights.
Perhaps most importantly – manufacturers should grow their understanding of digital transformation and partner with a company that can lead them through it. When your data comes to life in easy-to-read dashboards, you’ll be able to easily spot and correct inconsistencies which benefits everyone down to the end customer.
When you use an outside vendor to automate your data collection, you can focus your team where they are best utilized – on core production. Manual data entry is time-consuming, tedious, and notoriously inconsistent. Instead of collecting insufficient data, you can use IIOT to your advantage by highlighting the most significant areas of loss on the manufacturing floor. Time is better spent fixing the problem before you have substantial downtime.
Outsourcing data collection to Automation Intellect can also prove to be cost-efficient. The money saved by eliminating manual resources for data collection can be redirected to more competitive wages for skilled workers.
Real-time visibility into plant performance
When you partner with Automation Intellect, you typically have actionable data in 30 days, giving you complete visibility into your manufacturing floor. Best of all, you partner with a customer success coach that will handle everything from implementation, training and ongoing support throughout your subscription with Automation Intellect.
Despite being in a worker shortage, Automation Intellect provides a win-win solution for everyone. Reach out to us today to see how our IIoT platform can increase your bottom line.
References
| 1 | Fowler, K. (2021, December 10). Council post: Five reasons labor shortages are impacting supply chains. Forbes. |
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| 2 | Gavin, D. (2022, January 24). The labor shortage: How to address one of manufacturing’s biggest problems. Association of Equipment Manufacturers |
| 3 | Craig Giffi et al., 2018 Deloitte skills gap and future of work in manufacturing study , Deloitte Insights, November 14, 2018 |
