Manufacturers are Hiring, but Skills Gap Remains

The manufacturing and distribution industry saw more new workers these past months than any point since 2008, according to an article from U.S. News. As regulations are being torn down by those in Washington, manufacturers distributors are beginning to see a renewed demand for domestic manufacturing.  

According to author Andrew Soergel, “922,000 manufacturing and distribution hires were made during the first three months of this year – up notably from the 828,000 additions made at the beginning of 2016”. According to the JOLTS report, “business leaders are cautiously hopeful that pro-growth policies from Washington will allow the country to emerge from the sluggish expansion seen in the years since the Great Recession”.

In this article, Soergel addresses:

• The number of jobs added to the manufacturing and distribution sector
• The lack of qualified employees in the industry
• The problems the industry is facing in terms of retention

“Even though [the manufacturing and distribution industry] now appears to have turned a corner – presenting problems like a shortage of qualified employees for increasingly available positions – it isn’t out of the woods yet,” writes Soergel. While data may suggest that the industry is up-and-coming, political uncertainties such as the renegotiation of NAFTA could slow the industry progress.

To read more, see the full article from Andrew Soergel in U.S. News.