Thursday, November 19, 2009
Nearly one-third of manufacturers report some level of shortages today and over one-half report shortages for skilled production workers and engineers according to a survey conducted by Deloitte Consulting, The Manufacturing Institute and Oracle. The report, “People And Profitability - A Time For Change: A 2009 People Management Practices Survey Of The Manufacturing Industry,” indicates an ongoing talent challenge facing manufacturing organizations and a continued need for them to embrace new and progressive talent strategies.
The key findings of this report are:
- A shortage of specific skills persists
- A high-skilled, flexible workforce continues to be recognized as critical to business success
- The most profitable companies consistently assign a higher importance to talent and people management practices compared to the least profitable companies
- Significant gaps exist between the future importance of people management practices compared to current performance
Manufacturing companies were asked to describe the current availability of qualified workers in specified workforce segments, and to describe anticipated changes to that availability over the next two to three years.
When asked to comment on the availability of employees overall:
- 32% report moderate to serious shortages today
- 38% of all respondents predict increased shortages ahead
- In the Midwest, 25% see moderate shortages whereas in the Southwest 45% report moderate shortages
Results vary significantly by sector, for example while in the Automotive sector 98% report no shortages, Aerospace and Defense (63%), Energy (45%), and Life Sciences (63%) report moderate to significant shortages.
The report also reveals manufacturing’s top drivers of future business success, they are:
- New product innovation with 65%
- High-skilled, flexible workforce with 50%
- Low-cost producer status with 43%
Download the complete report.
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