A Shift in the Workforce

Ever since 2020, there has been a large shift in the labor force. The durable goods manufacturing industry has seen many troubles when it comes to finding quality workers.

A large percentage of the manufacturing industry is made up of the baby boomer generation who is quickly approaching retirement age.

In the past few years there were at least 500,000 more retirements that expected based on pre-pandemic trends. This has left a large gap in the workforce.

The durable goods manufacturing industry has more job openings than unemployed workers with experience in the industry, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This industry faced a major setback when losing about 1.4 million jobs at the onset of the pandemic.

Automation is the Only Option

Because of these major setbacks and gaps in the workforce, there is one really good option for companies looking to stay competitive – automation.

Taking many of those unfilled jobs and automating them can lighten the burden. Automation can fill the gaps in production lines and allow for work to continue even in the absence of quality workers.

By taking the dirty, dull, dangerous jobs that are unfilled and automating them, companies can shift their hiring focus on showcasing safer and better jobs within the company.