Manufacturers Spending Billions to Close Skills Gap

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Based on the results of a new survey by The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, manufacturers are estimated to have spent at least $26.2 billion in 2019 on internal and external training programs for new and existing manufacturing employees. Conducted by the Center for Manufacturing Research Director and NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray, it found that the vast majority of manufacturers (79.4%) are increasing their workforce training efforts in an effort to combat the industry’s significant skills gap.

“Manufacturers are clear-eyed about the challenge ahead: the future of the manufacturing industry will be tied to the future of its workforce,” said Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “That’s why manufacturers across the country are doubling down on implementing workforce training efforts, and the MI will continue to offer programming to help solve these issues as well as working with them to excite, educate and empower the next generation of industry leaders.”

The most recent NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey found that skilled labor was the top primary business challenge facing manufacturers, and a landmark report by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that 2.4 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2028 if we don’t take the right steps now.