Deloitte & The Manufacturing Institute gives us a glimpse into the future with the who’s-who of manufacturing jobs and fills us in on how manufactures can develop the next skilled workforce in partnerships with things like A. I. and young students.

By Sarah Ash

It can seem like there are two types of people in the world: those who hear about new technologies and feel threatened- will my job be taken by a robot? And then there are those who can’t wait to see what all the new technology will allow them to do at work.

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The truth is, most people lie somewhere in the middle. And according to new data from Deloitte & The Manufacturing Institute’s latest Skills Gap Study, the best way to leverage the fast approaching “Fourth Industrial Revolution” is to find a place in the middle- between what works now, and what kind of technology we can supplement that with.  We’ll need to create two dominant job roles to carry out that vision. Deloitte explains:

 “Forty-seven percent of today’s jobs might be gone in the next 10 years, including 20 percent of assembler jobs in manufacturing. But the overall headcount is expected to increase, meaning these jobs would transition into other skills, likely infused with technology.”

The basics:

So, what should manufacturers do to prepare? Deloitte suggests:

• Taking advantage of the emerging workforce ecosystem
• Turning toward automation to supplement human jobs that are going unfilled
• Tapping into the resources from the retiring generation of baby boomers
• Developing in-house training that engages a multi-generation workforce
• Creating public–private partnerships
• Bolstering apprenticeship programs

The who’s -who:

Who will carry out these new initiatives? Deloitte has created two personas that they believe will become dominant roles in the future of manufacturing and represent what fusing all the above might look like in a job role:

The Predictive Supply Network Analyst– They might do things like:

• “Evaluate recommendations from the predictive system, such as scheduling and material orders, and make final decisions.”
• “Identify market opportunities and proposes collaborative forecasts to customers based on analysis and insights from machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.”
• “Work collaboratively with engineering, production, and logistics to calibrate demand and supply, and eliminate any disruptions or delays.”

The Digital Twin Engineer- They might do things like:

• “Create digital twins using 3D software and run simulations to measure product performance in varying conditions.”
• “Use machine learning along with real-time usage and performance data to design new products and business models.”
• “Work closely with the sales and marketing teams to create data-driven customer insights and go-to-market strategies.”

Deloitte also suggests that alongside training current employees to integrate with these practices, the best place to find the people who will fill this role is in our schools. They suggest tapping into students as young as primary school (1st-5th grade).

Deloitte features Fluor Corporation,  a great example of implementing this strategy.

As “a multinational engineering and construction firm,” Fluor Corporation” partners with high schools and the Texas Workforce Commission (a state agency)” to provide “12-week training courses are based on NCCER (The National Center for Construction Education and Research) curriculum” which “also include[s] 40 hours of employability skills development.”
Deloitte explains that this helps Fluor Corporation “build a pipeline of skilled talent for the future of manufacturing.”

How we can help:

The future of manufacturing may seem intimidating- but your company doesn’t have to navigate the hiring process alone. At Employment Solutions, we commit to understanding who your workforce is by keeping up on relevant reports like this one by Deloitte. We are also dedicated to understanding what you need from your workforce, so we can send you candidates that become A-players on your team now and into the future. No matter how soon the year 2025 may or may not seem.

You can read the full report from Deloitte here.  If you’d like to hear more about what Employment Solutions can do to meet your staffing needs, get in touch with us through this form.