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Report: 1/2 of New Manufacturing Jobs Could Remain Open by 2033

A Deloitte and MFI study found that 1.9 million out of 3.8 million new jobs would remain unfilled, underscoring the need for employee-focused strategies to keep up with growth.

Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute’s new report, “Taking charge: Manufacturers support growth with active workforce strategies.”
Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute’s new report, “Taking charge: Manufacturers support growth with active workforce strategies.”

Manufacturing—which includes packaging and processing OEMs—is on the precipice of a large percentage of skilled jobs remaining unfilled, beyond even the dire circumstances the industry has faced since 2017.

At the current pace and without significant changes to address workforce challenges, half of the 3.8 million jobs expected between 2024 and 2033 will remain vacant, according to Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute’s new report, “Taking charge: Manufacturers support growth with active workforce strategies.” The report is based on an online survey of more than 200 U.S. manufacturers, interviews with senior executives from manufacturing organizations of all sizes and across all sectors, extensive analysis of secondary data on labor supply and demand, and analysis from Deloitte’s economic team.

This isn’t a new revelation by any means, but with the U.S. manufacturing industry emerging from the pandemic on a strong growth trajectory, continued growth is expected over the next 10 years as companies meet evolving customer demands, de-risk their supply chains, and leverage government incentives and policies, unfulfilled positions could reach a breaking point.

Manufacturing is aware of the crisis, as 65% of respondents in the National Association of Manufacturers’ 2024 Q1 outlook pointed to attracting and retaining talent as their primary business challenge. 

The demand for digital skills is accelerating as operations and products become more complex and information from smart connected devices and systems needs to be integrated and analyzed. 

“Manufacturers recognize that the workforce is evolving,” says — Carolyn Lee, president and executive director, The Manufacturing Institute. “Pandemic-driven shifts have already created hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and now we are seeing increased demand for digital skills that need to be met or risk further widening of the talent gap.”

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