What Employee Value Propositions can US Manufacturing Firms use to Retain and Engage Millennial Engineers?

Abstract

Key talent challenges in the manufacturing industry center on increasingly more job vacancies than hires (85% more vacancies than hires as of September 2021), increasing job turnover rates (40% in 2021), and a retiring workforce (25% of workforce as of December 2021 is 55 or older). Additionally, there is a declining interest in working in manufacturing among millennials and Gen Z talent. [3]At this rate, it is anticipated that US manufacturing will have 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030 unless the industry develops a value proposition for employees like it does for its customers.