A new report from the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte estimates that, by 2025, the skills gap in manufacturing will find 2.7 million unfilled replacement positions, and another 700,000 unfilled that will be necessary to meet growth needs. The gap is based on retirement rates, anticipated expansion of US manufacturing, and lack of a skilled workforce to take open positions. According to the survey, “most of the respondents insist that they are beating the bushes for qualified candidates and offering inducements, but they are finding it a hard sell. In the meantime, manufacturing workers are plugging the gap through overtime, putting in 17 percent more hours on average than workers in other fields.” Another familiar theme found with the skills gap is the negative, and dated, image people have of manufacturing careers – not seeing the high-tech, streamlined possibilities that the industry currently provides. The article recommends that manufacturers need to “foster internal training programs and become directly involved with local high schools, trade schools and community colleges to create a reliable stream of qualified candidates.”

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