The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) completed its 2018 State of Manufacturing Tour last week, making stops at several plants across the country, sharing insights about the future for manufacturing. In each location, one common themes was emphasized: Manufacturing is on the mend. Now, manufacturing needs workers.
While the economy and growth potential are improving, the shortage of skilled workers entering manufacturing just isn’t getting better. The NAM estimates that manufacturers have 365,000 unfilled jobs now and will need to fill 3.5 million jobs in the next seven years. Upgrading the image of American manufacturing is one of the goals of NAM.
