How does a well-established industry, like manufacturing, successfully alter the way it’s seen by talent after being perceived as labour-intensive and repetitive? It will likely be challenging to shake this outdated perception, but to attract candidates, leaders must highlight exciting career opportunities that are sustainable, modern and technology-driven.
Largely focused on digital transformation and tackling reforms needed to survive, embracing Industry 4.0 is indeed critical, but leaders must remember that without a competent, skilled and dedicated team in place, their business can easily fail.
With the sector struggling with an image problem, leaders must act quickly to close the widespread resourcing gap, a gap that requires the active participation of the younger generation. According to our annual report, The Current State of the Global Manufacturing Workforce in 2025 and Beyond, Gen Z only represents 12% of shift and/or deskless workers, but to meet growing demand, this demographic must increase quickly. With Baby Boomers retiring and the skills gap widening to an estimated 2.1 million unfilled jobs in the United States by 2030 alone, new workers need to come from somewhere and it’s left up to the younger generation to fill the gap.
The good news: the leaders we surveyed say that training and development over the next three years is their top investment priority. However, swift action is needed to enhance the worker experience through strategic hiring, upskilling, efficient tools like workforce management software and effective change management to become future-proof and thrive.
Leverage technology and automation to attract tech-savvy talent
To change the outdated perception of manufacturing, leaders should recognise that this process starts by promoting their industry as technology driven. Only manufacturers striving towards Industry 4.0 through modern innovative solutions, automation and AI will capture the attention of Gen Z and Millennial tech enthusiasts. As the generation practically born with the latest smartphones in their hands, smart technology use holds strong appeal. Unfortunately, our findings revealed that the industry is playing catch-up in adopting and applying tech and modern workforce strategies.
While over half (51%) of the leaders surveyed are already implementing automation and cutting-edge workforce strategies, they recognise that they face obstacles in this area. Further, only 20% said they have realised the full benefits after successful implementation. Despite current shortcomings, the time is right, however, to guide younger candidates to manufacturing careers due to the AI effect. The rise of AI has changed the job market, causing over 50% of Gen Z workers to ‘AIxiety Pivot’ and swap their careers for enhanced job stability. But leaders can turn the concern surrounding AI into an advantage by highlighting new opportunities and their balanced AI and human approach.
- Be an innovator investor: Highlight investments in technology that will make workers’ jobs easier and intrigue younger generations, supporting them and older workers while they successfully adopt Industry 4.0.
- Go high tech: Play up how you’re accelerating automation integration, combined with cutting-edge workforce strategies to cut skill shortages. Also, highlight the workforce management software tools used that can elevate and optimise worker’s time.
- Promote purpose: Combined, these strategies work towards improving the manufacturing industry’s image to a tech-driven sector that offers a modern, socially sustainable career choice, effortlessly attracting Gen Z talent
Establish a change management strategy to boost employee experience
Change management contributes significantly to employee experience, requiring a comprehensive strategy to ensure employees feel supported. All surveyed respondents (100%) acknowledge the critical need to implement strategies to overcome key industry challenges and 79% of respondents have acted, having a change management strategy already in place. As the race to embrace the vast benefits of Industry 4.0 speeds up, change management is critical, as it keeps employees grounded in knowledge and ready for future company shifts.
To support workers, adopt a “what’s in it for them” approach that highlights how these solutions support them and can limit everyday frustrations associated with poor workflows, messaging and time keeping. Leaders we surveyed are working toward enhancing employee experience through investing in training and development programmes (22%), improving internal communication (19%) and ensuring there is access to employee feedback mechanisms (18%). Limiting change fatigue is a challenge, but the industry’s current state of flux isn’t going anywhere, compelling leaders to prioritise employee experience to avoid burnout and disengagement of teams.
To make the lives of workers better, these real-world actions can be the difference between success and failure of your change management programme:
- Invest in training: Cultivate robust, up-to-date training programs paired with modern methods like gamification to develop skills and improve the employee experience.
- Encourage feedback: Prioritise authentic communication while enhancing internal comms and feedback mechanisms to drive engagement and reduce change fatigue.
- A tech-focused leadership approach: Foster leadership that champions transformation and positions technology as an enabler for success – just remember your people too.
The future is now: embracing change and the younger generation for success
To overcome the skills gap while prioritising your people, manufacturing leaders must focus on modernising their businesses, proving that they are sustainable, tech-driven and offering unique career opportunities. It is also key to cultivate a culture that recognises that change is good and needed to embrace Industry 4.0. It’s an agile approach that incorporates innovation where it will be most impactful, integrating only right-fit tools combined with workforce management strategies to support deskless workers, but ultimately, all employees.
Learn more about emerging trends, how to boost the employee experience and how you can prepare for the future of manufacturing now with these key strategies from our recent report.
