Personnel

Why do so few women pursue careers in engineering? A new study from a Rice University researcher will seek to find out by examining their everyday work experiences in the profession.

The struggle among manufacturers to fill open jobs is likely to continue because of the shrinking labor pool and growing need for workers with high-tech skills. Those are conclusions in a report from the National Association of Manufacturers, a trade group for manufacturers, including thousands of small businesses. In a survey in March, manufacturers said their inability to attract and retain talent was their biggest concern as it was for the previous two-and-a-half years. A quarter of those surveyed said they’ve had to turn down business opportunities because they didn’t have the staffers needed to fulfill contracts.

A New Haven, Connecticut-based worker training organization is getting $3.45 million in state funding to expand a program to grow the workforce in the manufacturing sector. Funds will be used to build upon a program launched in February at Gateway Community College that took 19 unemployed and underemployed workers and provided them with an intensive five-week training course. “Every single one of them had a job before they graduated,” said William Villano, president and CEO of Workforce Alliance. “This (is) a good program for people that want to change careers or high school graduates who aren’t going to college.”

Work/life balance, believing in – and supporting – its people; these are core principles of ARCH Cutting Tools. Dave Fisher is an example of how the organization lives those principles.

Women make up around 47% of the U.S. labor force, nearly 74 million people and counting. But the percentage of manufacturing roles filled by female workers is only 29%. In a sector not only flourishing but facing a potential shortfall of workers, why do women remain so vastly underrepresented?

The light is a little too dim for Carolyn Lee, executive director of the Manufacturing Institute at the National Association of Manufacturers. She wants the industry to shine a brighter light on itself and attract the recognition it deserves.

Building and maintaining a skilled workforce is one of the top challenges manufacturers face today, and the skills gap is only going to increase as older workers look to retire. Companies also might miss out on additional revenue streams because they can’t hire or retain employees fast enough to keep pace with increasing demands. The logical thing to do is to focus on operational improvements: Reduce waste, automate processes, and squeeze out even more efficiency. But this goes only so far. What many manufacturers are doing instead of hiring is repurposing existing employees to take on higher-value roles.