The Manufacturing Skills Gap: What Is It and How to Solve It? (2021)

The manufacturing industry is a juggernaut when it comes to moving the economy forward. According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAMI), manufacturers in the United States accounted for 11.39% of the economy's total output in 2018. In addition, plants across the country created over $2,334.60 billion in product output for a wide range of industries and consumers. Yet, jobs are going unfulfilled.

Job positions remain empty because there aren't enough skilled workers. Referred to as the manufacturing skills gap, this issue revolves around the labor market being unable to find workers who have the manual, operational, and highly technical skills, knowledge, or expertise to take the open positions.

The manufacturing skills gap is not simply a buzzword within the industry. Instead, it's the reality that many manufacturers are facing right now. There are more open job positions than there are workers ready to fill them. 

This short article tries to define the manufacturing skills gap with concrete exemple, defines the manufacturing jobs profile and competences that are required in the current setting and how to bridge the skills gap.