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Employer Quotes

The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Manufacturing

They are talking about this topic: Workforce Trends & Challenges

 

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The quotes below are about this issue:
As in other industries, leaders in the manufacturing industry are concerned about a high percentage of the workforce retiring over the next decade; this is particularly true as they continue to struggle to fill entry-level positions.

Employer Quote Region
"Employer 1: Our company is over 60 years old, and some of our employees have grown up at the company. So, we have an aging workforce, and we do have manual labor. We have very little automation. So, our people are wearing out. They're getting tired, and there are things they can't lift. So, we need to adjust and accommodate where we can. Physically, our workforce now has difficulties doing the work, to be able to do what they once could do.

Employer 2: We're in a similar situation. And one of the things—through the union—one of the outcomes is that when we have lay-offs, we generally have to lay-off the younger people first because it's based on seniority. So, it shifts the demographic age of the workforce higher. We're at an average age at the factory of almost 48. In the next ten years, we're going to have a tremendous amount of turnover. And, even though we have a lot of automation, it's still hard work and it does wear people out. So, we're going to be looking."		 Southeast
"We haven't gone very far down the curve of having a real structured plan in place. Can you replace 300 people over the next five years? Where are they going to come from? How are we going to get those skills? We are just starting that dialogue." Southeast
"I think being nimble is going to be important. The five percent skilled manufacturing growth rate along with the aging workforce is probably going to push demand higher. That will impact how quickly we're going to need to get them in the door over the next few years." Southeast
"The average age at our plant is 54 years old. In those 10 years, we'll literally have to turn around the entire plant's workforce, and I don't think we're unique in that way. There are a lot of Baby Boomers that are going to leave. Where are the people going to come from who will replace those skill sets?" Southeast
"Fifty percent of our machinists are able to retire right now. That's people who are 55 years of age and older. So, we're expecting to see a huge turnover of machinists in the next few years. To prepare for that, we've partnered with [MnSCU colleges] and created our own internal machinist development program. We're looking at all our employees in our other production areas, assembly areas, who we know have the aptitude to move into a technical area, and we've developed our own machine certificate with [MnSCU college]. We've got five people going through that, and we plan on putting at least five more people in that program each year." Southeast
"I'm the total neophyte because my background is more in the service world than it is in a manufacturing world. So, in the last nine or ten months, I've had to try to understand manufacturing like, 'How do you attract people,' as well as, 'How do you assist people through?' And my concern is that, within our shop, we have a lot of older workers who have great talent and knowledge, and that talent and knowledge is going to get lost in the not-too-distant future." Southeast
"We're going to be misaligned because, right now, we're looking ahead two to five years, and wondering where our replacement workforce is going to come from.

Question: So, you're thinking about transitioning those laborers into other positions?

Employer: As much as possible. But it's not ideal, right?"		 Southeast
"I think MnSCU has an opportunity—and that's where I think the community colleges can really be at the tip of the spear—is to get into the companies. I'd love if we had enough internal talent to move up. A lot of people—the old-timers—will say, 'Hey, 20 years ago we had a pretty good group of people we could promote to leads, and those leads could become supervisors. And maybe with the little bit of polishing, that supervisor could become a manager.' That's the kind of company that we have been the last 40 years. Today, you look at that 70 percent labor pool, and you've got people saying, 'I don't see a diamond in the rough there.' It's tough. I don't see who's promotable. It's another great opportunity for MnSCU to get involved—and that means MnSCU has got to be flexible. Get in there with a labor program on-site and work with the employers. I think that's the big problem as the Baby Boomers retire—we lose the skill and institutional knowledge of glass fabrication or making Spam or whatever the hell it is that the company does. That knowledge and those skills walk out the door with them." Southeast
"I'm not letting them retire. You know what? If I can keep them on part-time, I'm going to keep them on. We're doing everything we can to make the Baby Boomers want to stay, like letting them work two days a week. I'm not letting them go." Southeast