Issue Industrial products: widening the pool rather than deepening the pipeline

Summary

Manufacturing faces one of the sharpest labour shortfalls of any sector, with 3.8 million US workers needed by 2033 and about half of those roles likely to stay empty. The industry is widely seen as offering few engaging, career-building jobs in safe and clean settings, while immigration policy limits supply and nearshoring intensifies competition for skilled staff. Instead of fighting over the same applicants, employers are broadening where they look. They recruit veterans, people affected by the justice system and workers from hospitality and transportation, and they run hands-on school programmes to change how students see factory careers. Partnerships with associations, agencies and colleges, supported by AI-based training and simulation, aim to make technology a source of more attractive jobs rather than a replacement for them.