he National Association of Manufacturers, in a 2024 study with Deloitte, reports that growth in the manufacturing industry is outpacing available labor. It’s a significant gap they forecast will require 3.8 million additional workers by 2033. The silver lining is that the widening labor deficit can be attributed in part to a growing domestic manufacturing sector after decades of downsizing and offshoring. If that growth is to continue, however, manufacturers will need to address the labor shortage now and over the long term. More than that, though, manufacturers will need to rethink labor strategy to both source the needed people and skills and to maximize Return on Labor (ROL).
