Posted Date: 02/11/2011
Sector Primed to Surge, Yet Skilled Labor Shortage an Obstacle
By Gerald Shankel, President and CEO
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, InternationalManufacturing. It’s been America’s “signature” since the days of the Industrial Revolution when machinery, factories and, eventually, mass production became our hallmarks and inventiveness, innovation and ingenuity were our trademarks.
Financial pundits, business leaders and government officials past and current assert manufacturing represents this country’s economic engine and serves as the catalyst for prosperity. The sector spurs demand for everything from raw materials and intermediate components to software and services of all kinds. Studies and statistics show that manufacturing significantly impacts the widespread creation of jobs – and wealth.
And, it’s not just the experts and the data that recognize manufacturing’s importance. A 2010 national study of Americans sponsored by The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte revealed more than three quarters of respondents – 78 percent – believe the manufacturing industry is very important to our economic prosperity. Similarly, 76 percent view manufacturing as critical to our standard of living and nearly two-thirds – 65 percent – said the sector is important to national security.
Despite such value placed on U.S. manufacturing, its influential “signature” currently is not a bold flourish, but a shaky, subdued script. Yes, the worst economy since the Depression and years of job losses to low-wage countries have been devastating. But the economy already shows signs of a comeback, it is manufacturing that has led the way in the rebound, and there is a growing recognition that outsourcing of jobs overseas will decrease as these formerly “low-wage” countries build their own middle-class populations.
Although these are positive trends, many are not ready to predict that a vibrant U.S. industrial environment is on the horizon, and a number of experts are far from optimistic. The reason? Manufacturers simply cannot find the skilled labor needed today to handle the kinds of sophisticated production processes and tasks required on the manufacturing shop floor.
It is a remarkable contradiction. Companies cannot find workers in an economy still reeling from months of double-digit unemployment rates. Yet, research and real-life scenarios support what for many is counter-intuitive. For example:
· The 2010 Manpower Talent Shortage Survey revealed that among the most difficult U.S. jobs to fill today are those in the skilled trades, which encompass welders, electricians, …
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