Gen Z and Industry

Dec. 12, 2023
As the manufacturing industries continue to face an ongoing worker shortage, addressing Gen Z’s concerns about industry could go a long way toward reducing the problem.

Over the last two decades, as Millennials joined the workforce in significant numbers,  industry has been faced with an ever-growing worker shortage. Much of the initial impact  on the industrial workforce in the U.S. stemmed from the offshoring of numerous  manufacturing jobs and industry’s reputation as a workplace that was often dark, dirty and  dangerous.

Today, the industrial landscape in the U.S. is significantly different. Manufacturing jobs are  growing as production returns to the U.S. and factories are cleaner and safer than ever  (largely due to automation). Yet the workforce shortage persists as a new generation—Gen  Z—enters the workplace to replace retiring Boomer and Gen X workers.

Years of educational outreach from the manufacturing industry to attract younger workers  has helped to a certain degree, but the effects of offshoring and industry’s hard labor  history still have a negative impact on perceptions. This can be seen in the ongoing worker  shortage, which currently stands at more than 600,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs,  according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

To help the manufacturing industries better understand Gen Z workers, Soter Analytics, a  global safety technology company, conducted a survey of more than 2,000 Gen Zers in the  United States.

Probably the most striking result of the survey is that only 14% of Gen Z say industrial  work is a career they’d consider. This low level of positive response to industrial work is  likely connected to the fact that 25% of Gen Z believe work conditions are unsafe in industrial jobs, 20% think the pay is low and 14% feel the benefits aren’t good.

Takeaways for industry 

Despite the low opinion of manufacturing work held by many Gen Zers, Soter Analytics  study reveals some key insights that could be addressed by industry to sway Gen Z’s  impression of industrial work.

For example, 32% of Gen Z say a clear promotion path or opportunities to move into a  corporate position would incentivize them to consider industrial work, while 29% say if  industrial jobs were paid above the national salary average for entry level workers, they’d  be incentivized to consider them.

Interestingly, 17% say they’d be incentivized to consider an industrial job if they knew  someone who was working in the space and liked it—which suggests that campaigns  highlighting Gen Z workers currently working in industry could be a significant influencing  factor.

One stereotype about Gen Z workers is that they have high demands for workplace  flexibility, and Soter Analytics’ study tends to support that stereotype. According to the  study, 26% of Gen Z think the hours are rigid in industrial work and 40% say that flexible  hours/workdays are a primary deciding factor when considering a job offer. Twenty-six  percent of Gen Z say flexible working hours or days would incentivize them to consider  industrial work.

Beyond pay and workday flexibility, use of technology is another critical factor for  industrial companies to consider as they seek to attract Gen Z workers. The Soter Analytics  study showed that 27% of Gen Z wants to work for a company on the forefront of new  technologies—such as drones, connected devices, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.  All of which are increasingly finding a home in manufacturing through industry’s digital  transformation.

Key to tapping into Gen Z’s desire to work with new technologies is that 30% feel more  equipped to learn new technologies than generations that came before them and 33% want  to work for a company that is actively embracing new technology to help employees do  their job. 

About the Author

David Greenfield, editor in chief | Director of Content

David Greenfield joined Automation World in June 2011. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and media experience to his position, David’s contributions can be found in AW’s print and online editions and custom projects. He is also the chief program architect of the annual Automation World Conference & Expo. Earlier in his career, David was Editorial Director of Design News at UBM Electronics, and prior to joining UBM, he was Editorial Director of Control Engineering at Reed Business Information, where he also worked on Manufacturing Business Technology as Publisher. 

Sponsored Recommendations

Why should American-Made Products be a top priority?

Within this white paper, Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar, founder of AVG Advanced Technologies, stresses the importance of prioritizing American-made products to safeguard the country'...

How to Improve Production Accountability in Manufacturing

David Greenfield, Automation World's Editor-in-Chief, and Shalli Kumar, founder of EZAutomation, discuss the idea of production monitors: a preprogrammed PLC/LED display that ...

HALT/HASS: The Ultimate Test for Reliability

Discover how companies like EZAutomation push the limits of reliability with HALT/HASS testing, originally designed to mimic the extreme conditions of space shuttle launches. ...

Your Next Production Monitor Is Only a Few Clicks Away

Shop for your very own EZ Production Monitor. It's designed for non-technical staff, so there's no programming required! It combines pre-coded firmware, real-time data, and WiFi...