Attracting Gen Z workers

It’s essential to know the misconceptions about the industry that have prevented Gen Z from applying for manufacturing jobs.

The biggest problem in manufacturing today is recruiting and retaining talent.

Older manufacturing engineers and experienced shop workers are retiring, while new workers don’t want to stick around or lack the training to navigate modern machinery. The recently released “Manufacturing Trends Report 2023” from Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CM&E) shows that the Canadian manufacturing industry, which includes all manufacturing in Canada, is facing massive labour shortages, with more than 200,000 unfilled positions.

So, how can manufacturers navigate a workforce that is more expensive but less experience and still manage to foster consistency in their operations?

One option is adopting different technologies to improve operator efficiency and training initiatives. This does not necessarily mean adopting more sophisticated manufacturing technologies (although such technologies do, of course, have their own value propositions); rather, the premise here is technology that allows workers to learn and do their jobs better can change the perception of the metal manufacturing sector.

And it is vital to attract young people to the industry, since many Gen Z workers—people born between 1996 and 2010—want to work for companies at the forefront of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR).

So, how can manufacturers get started? And what tools should they look out for?

Understand Why You’re Failing to Attract Young Talent

It’s essential to know the misconceptions about the industry that have prevented Gen Z from applying for manufacturing jobs.

The consensus is that manufacturing companies don't pay as well as software companies, for example, which is occasionally but not universally true. Qualified and skilled manufacturing engineers do receive a good salary, often up to 10 per cent more than their counterparts working in other fields, according to online job board Indeed.com.

The other issue is that manufacturing companies require highly specialized skills in operations and engineering. These skills can involve a steep learning curve and sometimes don't transfer easily, making it harder to promote young people who change jobs more frequently. That’s where training, upskilling, and reskilling at manufacturing companies, using different software, can be beneficial for attracting talent.

Last, manufacturing often is viewed as an established rather than an emerging industry. This means many of its subindustries can feel stale to younger candidates if they aren’t aware of the latest cutting-edge advancements.

The following are four examples of how technology can keep younger talent in your business for the long term.

1. Enterprise Data Platforms

Enterprise data platforms with real-time communication can train and retrain staff quickly. These systems, which capture human, machine, and material data (like computer vision, factory sensors, audio, video, and operator-supplied data) are becoming more widespread to improve quality control and data visibility for management.

For example, dashboards set up at various stations on the production floor give managers a more complete sense of what is happening in production, even if they are not on the plant floor themselves. An underlying potential benefit for the entire workforce, though, is that manufacturers can capture and transmit knowledge in real time, and new workers can receive that knowledge to do meaningful work with minimal training.

This is achievable when data platforms add in real-time communication systems for the plant floor.

Operators, engineers, and managers respond to values and trends in data in real time when systems include built-in notifications. For example, users can receive notifications over different media (like Slack, headsets from text-to-speech software, or email) at exactly the moment when the condition of parts or equipment makes it necessary, with specific instructions on how to address the issue or new order that was just created.

Operators also can use mobile devices or headsets to log notes and questions, which allow interactivity and feedback to improve the instructions themselves.

This not only improves uptime and yield, but it also helps workers pick up new skills quickly. For workers, this helps make them be more versatile, which is critical to their value. For companies, it helps ensure that new employees have the tools they need to follow protocols right away, which is a critical adjustment to make for the modern paradigm where workers are critically important to operations, but they change jobs more often.

2. Real-Time Alerts and Communication

The new generation of workers want flexibility, and this is also achievable with real-time alerts and work instructions. For example, real-time data displays and alerts via phone or headset (rather than at human-machine interfaces) remove the need to be at a machine constantly, giving workers flexibility on location.

Managers can also have remote access to real-time line performance metrics, meaning consistency in the measurement of KPIs and easy identification of areas for operator training. This also leads to more accurate troubleshooting and better work completion for operators, meaning higher job satisfaction.

Take computer vision data on these platforms as an example which leverages AI. It attracts young talent because an algorithm can use computer vision to filter out the parts in a factory that require immediate physical inspection, making inspection tasks far less tedious.

Management also can evaluate response time to computer vision alerts to better train operators and see how many physically inspected parts actually have defects, providing information to improve the algorithms for the future. New talent may be interested in analyzing images and improving the algorithms too.

3. No-Code Report Generation

Ongoing storage of captured data, calculations, and machine learning results on secure servers, cloud, or local systems also lead to simple report generation with just a few clicks. Manufacturers should, therefore, search for platforms with no-code options to build custom reports.

Custom reporting incorporates responses to real-time alerts and combines data from all available sources. Managers can then track the tasks that are causing operators the most trouble as well as the condition of equipment during those times.

These reports set up production lines for future success, providing deeper insights and allowing managers to analyze metrics and review worker performance easily.

Engineers also can track reasons for downtime, analyze historical reports, and improve alert response time. Engineers and managers can look at this data all in one place, referring to historical information and even downloading raw data.

4. Order-Completion Software for Continuous Training

Another way to attract talent is by investing in mentorship programs or training. It’s not always feasible for companies to support such programs during work hours or desirable for employees to pursue these opportunities outside of work.

However, new technologies can serve as a proxy for these training programs.

For example, order-completion software provides a sequence of tasks for operators, which means they can only move on to other tasks once they’ve completed certain sections, like mandatory safety checks. Such software sends alerts and reminders to reinforce good habits without the need for physical mentorship.

Plus, engineers or senior leaders can update instructions and create updates that automatically reach operators, so changes in protocol don't necessarily require pulling employees into a classroom for an hour.

If manufacturers are willing to invest in the latest software and hardware, it can lead to more efficient and meaningful work—and this is bound to attract a new generation of manufacturing talent.

Arjun Chandar is founder/CEO of IndustrialML, info@industrialml.com, www.industrialml.com.