Gen Z Warms to Manufacturing Jobs

Image credit: Spencer Davis on Unsplash

But the belief that manufacturing companies don’t pay as much as other fields is potentially preventing them from taking the next step.

Description
New research from Parsable reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic improved how Generation Z views the importance of frontline manufacturing to the country. But, work still needs to be done to convince this generation that manufacturing offers a technologically advanced, financially rewarding and future-focused career path. In a survey of 1,000 recently graduated U.S.-based respondents aged 18-24 years old, 56% said their views on manufacturing changed because of the pandemic; of those, 77% said they believe manufacturing is more important than they previously thought.

Despite this, overall, 52% remain disinterested or neutral in frontline manufacturing work; of those, 30% are concerned it might be a “low-skilled, manual job. For many, the belief that manufacturing companies don’t pay as much as other fields is potentially preventing them from taking the next step. When assessing priorities in selecting a career, 64% said “good pay” was a top priority – more important than benefits, growth opportunities and “interesting work,” among others.

Relevance
Parsable’s research shows significant discrepancies between the perception of manufacturing among new job candidates and the reality of today’s factory environment. The industry needs to highlight and educate our younger generations on the reality of frontline manufacturing work, which is actually very advanced and future-focused, in order to attract the best and brightest candidates.