Workforce and Education

The inaugural “Empowering Women’s Leadership in Manufacturing” event was a smash hit.

What’s going on: The newly minted Women in National Association of Manufacturers—a group composed of women executives at NAM member companies—gathered for the first time last month at Johnson & Johnson’s World Headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

• Headlining the event were Johnson & Johnson Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Operations and Risk Officer (and NAM Board Chair) Kathy Wengel and Cornerstone Building Brands President and Chief Executive Officer (and NAM Executive Committee member) Rose Lee.
• NAM Executive Vice President of External Affairs Erin Streeter also spoke at the event, conducting a conversation with New Jersey State Senator Linda Greenstein, who is a co-chair of her state’s manufacturing caucus.

The background: WIN arose out of discussions among several women leaders on the NAM’s executive committee, including Wengel and Lee, who hosted introductory sessions at the NAM’s spring and fall board meetings. The goals of the new group include:

• Amplifying the voice of women leaders in manufacturing advocacy;
• Supporting professional growth for women in manufacturing; and
• Promoting the growth of women executives in NAM membership.

The word from Wengel: At the October event, the Johnson & Johnson leader paid homage to the women of J&J who led critical  operations for the organization over 100 years ago.

• “During World War I, Edith H. led a team of 140 women—running J&J’s sterile suture manufacturing operation round-the-clock to meet demand for our products on the front lines,” Wengel said.
• “Yes, we’ve come a long, long way [since WWI],” she continued, “but all of us know there’s still so much more we want and need to accomplish.”
• “With WIN, we want to transform the industry as a whole—creating momentum for meaningful reforms to policy and corporate culture that support professional growth for all women in manufacturing.”

A conversation with Lee: After her speech kicking off the event and introducing WIN, Wengel conducted a dialogue with Cornerstone President and CEO Lee, who also stressed the importance of spotlighting women’s experiences in manufacturing.

• “For most of us it’s been a long and sometimes tough journey,” Lee said. “But once we get here, it can be easy for some of the hard realities of the journey to fade as we deal with day-to-day challenges of running our company, division, business or team.”
• “For WIN to be effective, we need to stay in touch with the front lines where we make our great products, and with what the customers want and need. We also need to support and lift up one another to be the most effective women in manufacturing today,” she added.

Why it’s important: “Our companies are better, our industry is better, the world is better when women are an equal part of the leadership team and decision-making process,” Wengel said. “Everybody wins when we have more women in manufacturing leadership positions.”

Get involved: If you are a female leader in manufacturing, WIN is eager to hear your perspective. Please take the survey here to tell us your views on supporting women throughout the industry.

Manufacturers employ more veterans than any other private industry, with roughly 980,000 veterans working in manufacturing in 2023. That is an encouraging number, yet there are still many more veterans who remain untapped by the manufacturing industry. And manufacturers need them: with 481,000 open jobs in the sector, companies have much to gain by exploring this promising talent pool.

That’s where the Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America initiative comes in. Since its launch in 2018, it has assisted more than 42,000 members of the military community who are looking for their next career. Now, Heroes is expanding its reach via collaborations with the U.S. Department of Labor and Walmart, which will further boost manufacturers’ access to this skilled and dedicated workforce.

Walmart.org: Heroes’ collaboration with Walmart.org began in 2022, when Walmart funded the development of a model that translates military-acquired skills into competencies that are recognized by employers in the manufacturing industry, enhancing veterans’ visibility to employers.

• The project built, tested and evaluated a platform that allows military-connected individuals to showcase their qualifications through verifiable digital badges.
• This approach helps civilian employers recognize the skills of service members and veterans, making it easier for these job seekers to transition into high-demand roles while enhancing workforce readiness.
• New funding from Walmart.org will further expand the translation of military skills, painting fuller pictures of job seekers’ abilities and exploring avenues to increase the usage and acceptance of digital skills and badging systems, both among users and employers.

DOL: In June, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that Heroes would become a partner of the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service’s Employment Navigator & Partnership Program, which provides transitioning service members and their spouses with personalized employment assistance.

• Through its partnership with ENPP, Heroes will extend its reach to 36 additional military installations worldwide, significantly expanding its role as a premier employment resource for the military community.

The MI says: “Our existing offerings coupled with added valuable collaborations with Walmart.org and DOL will help Heroes connect more manufacturers with military talent, supplying them with qualified, dedicated workers who will strengthen manufacturing in America for decades to come,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. 

Interested in learning more? Check out the HMA website, follow HMA on LinkedIn or send an email to [email protected].

Manufacturer sentiment fell in the third quarter of this year, according to the NAM’s Q3 2024 Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey, out Wednesday.

What’s going on: Results of the survey, which was conducted Sept. 5–20, reflect “preelection uncertainty,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said—but also larger economic concerns.

• “The good news is that there is something we can do about it,” said Timmons. “We will work with lawmakers from both parties to halt the looming tax increases in 2025; address the risk of higher tariffs; restore balance to regulations; achieve permitting and energy security; and ease labor shortages and supply chain disruptions.”

Key findings: Notable data points from the survey include the following:

• Some 62.9% of respondents reported feeling either somewhat or very positive about their business’s outlook, a decline from 71.9% in Q2.
• A weaker domestic economy was the top business challenge for those surveyed, with 68.4% of respondents citing it.
• Nearly nine out of 10 manufacturers surveyed agreed that Congress should act before the end of 2025 to prevent scheduled tax increases on manufacturers.
• The overwhelming majority—92.3%—said the corporate tax rate should remain at or below 21%, with more than 71% saying a higher rate would have a negative impact on their businesses.
• More than 72% said they support congressional action to lower health care costs through the reform of pharmacy benefit managers.

The last word: “When policymakers take action to create a more competitive business climate for manufacturers, we can sustain America’s manufacturing resurgence—and strengthen our can-do spirit,” Timmons said.

• “This administration and Congress—and the next administration and Congress—should take this to heart, put aside politics, personality and process and focus on the right policies to strengthen the foundation of the American economy.”

More than 300 leaders and experts gathered in Minneapolis last week to discuss the industry’s talent challenges, from hiring to training and retaining. The Manufacturing Institute’s annual Workforce Summit convened manufacturers, partners from education and training groups, philanthropy leaders and representatives from community-based organizations to share insights and brainstorm solutions.

The backdrop: With more than 500,000 open jobs in the industry, manufacturing leaders are intent on solving the talent equation.

• MI Chief Program Officer Gardner Carrick provided context for attendees. “For the last 7+ years, manufacturers have told the MI that the single biggest challenge they face is finding the right people to employ,” he said. “It is the crisis right in front of us.”
• Carrick urged attendees to “act now, because the system needs help.” However, he also noted that this crisis will take time to fix, saying that manufacturers should “be patient, but be committed.”

Quick insights: The participants brought many new ideas and fresh perspectives to the gathering. Here are some of the highlights:

• Recruitment and hiring: NTT DATA led a session on artificial intelligence technologies that can help with talent attraction, while other sessions focused on changing Americans’ perceptions of the industry and demonstrating that manufacturing is a “cool” field to work in.
• Retention: Mark Rayfield, CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed, highlighted the importance of culture as a retention tool, saying, “Culture is everything. Employees want to work for a place where they are respected.” In a separate session, Jill Wyant, president and CEO of Madison Air, shared why their cultural value of frontline obsession guides how they attract and retain their frontline employees.
• Training: One session focused on training frontline supervisors in methods that boost retention of frontline workers. Other sessions focused on using the FAME USA model (of combined accreditation and training) to cultivate talent for manufacturing facilities.
• Preparing the next generation: Ketchie Inc.’s Andy Silver spoke about the company’s Opportunity Knocks program, an unpaid internship program for high school students that offers real-world learning experience and mentorship. Programs like these can transform young people’s perceptions of the manufacturing industry and set them on rewarding career paths, as Silver noted.

Did you miss it? Don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to get involved in the solutions being driven by the MI, the NAM’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate.

• Check out the MI’s Solutions Center, a new initiative that will provide manufacturers innovative resources and opportunities to access solutions and best practices on how to tackle the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining talent in today’s competitive landscape. Attendees got a first look, but now we’re sharing it with everyone.
• Get updates directly from the MI on the latest workforce insights and receive information about registering for next year’s Workforce Summit in Charlotte, North Carolina, taking place Oct. 20–22, 2025.
• Want more labor data and insights? Sign up for the MI’s comprehensive Workforce in Focus newsletter to stay up to date on the latest workforce trends.

The last word: “The MI and manufacturers across the country are changing the narrative, raising awareness and finding new ways to get people in the door and retain them,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “As we face workforce shortages and retention challenges, events like the MI’s Workforce Summit are necessary to help the industry share important insights and ensure the readiness of the future manufacturing workforce.”

Within days of Hurricane Helene’s landfall, manufacturers were reaching out to help those who had been affected.

What’s going on: Companies from an array of industries are volunteering their resources, time and energy to getting storm victims essential items. Helene, which made landfall in Florida last Thursday, has killed at least 189 people and left more than 1.2 million customers without power (ABC News).

• Toyota is matching donation contributions made by its U.S.-based employees to the American Red Cross, disaster relief organization SBP and other nonprofits. The auto manufacturer is also offering payment relief options to those affected.
• Norfolk Southern Corp. has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross, which is undertaking relief work across multiple states, including North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. The company’s Employee Disaster Relief Program is also giving employees affected by the storm grants for qualified expenses and losses.
• DENSO North America Foundation, the philanthropic group of global automotive components manufacturer DENSO, is donating $200,000 to the American Red Cross in support of disaster relief across southeastern states.
• Procter & Gamble’s Disaster Relief is partnering with Walmart and Matthew 25: Ministries, an international aid organization, in their recovery efforts in the hard-hit Florida cities of Perry and St. Petersburg. P&G resources will go toward a Tide Loads of Hope Mobile Laundry Unit, powered by Matthew 25: Ministries, to offer free, full-service laundry to responders and affected residents. Shower trailers with hot water will also be provided.

Additional resources: SBP and Good360 offer manufacturers disaster preparedness resources and training when natural disasters hit.

• “Hurricane Helene has been devastating, leaving many without access to power and vital resources,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons wrote in a social post Wednesday. “Manufacturers looking for recovery resources or looking to provide supplies can connect with SBP via sbpusa.org and Good360 via good360.org.”

Share your stories: Are you helping those affected by Helene? Tell us how by emailing [email protected].

Many people imagine that a job in manufacturing requires working on a shop floor to create products. Joseph Fields—a human resources professional at MGX Equipment Services—knows that isn’t the case.

“Working in MGX, there’s cranes and welding and engineering—but there’s also HR, and finance, and payroll, and employee health and safety,” said Fields. “There are lots of opportunities you can lean into.”

The background: Fields spent eight years as a yeoman in the U.S. Navy before he transitioned into a civilian role in 2000. Over the course of the next two decades, he worked in human resources at a variety of companies. However, he was laid off in October 2023 after a six-year stint when his employer downsized.

• A few days later, he attended a virtual career fair sponsored by Heroes MAKE America—a Manufacturing Institute program that builds connections between the military community and the manufacturing industry—and found his new role.

• “I wasn’t planning to go to the HMA career fair, because I had zero experience with manufacturing,” said Fields. “But I saw it on LinkedIn, and at the time, I hadn’t interviewed with anyone in six years. I figured this would be a good opportunity to talk about myself and get some feedback.”

The result: Fields didn’t just get feedback, he was offered a job with MGX, one of the manufacturers in attendance.

• “I met with lots of great companies, including a manager at MGX, and we had a great conversation,” said Fields. “She called me the next day and asked if I was interested in an HR position. They offered it to me the week after Thanksgiving.”
• “We are very thankful we found Joseph through Heroes Make America. He attended our virtual career fair and visited our breakout room. After listening to our presentation a few times, he still stayed in our room,” said MGX Director of HR Ashley Barkdoll. “I could tell he would be a great fit for our team after having a few conversations with him.”

The program: Heroes MAKE America provides integrated certification, career-readiness training and job-searching support in partnership with local technical and community colleges to prepare transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard members, reservists and military spouses for rewarding careers in the manufacturing and supply chain industries.

• Heroes also offers virtual and on-site career fairs—like the one where Fields found his new position—for members of the broader military community.

The other side: Today, Fields is paying it forward by working with Heroes MAKE America to find veterans and others with military affiliations to interview with MGX. He’s especially grateful for the support that Heroes gives to graduates and other job seekers throughout the hiring process.

• “I like that Heroes MAKE America not only promotes organizations that focus on veteran hiring, but also that they do the follow-up to make sure people get hired,” said Fields.

Advice to veterans: Fields wants other veterans to know that manufacturing offers a broad range of opportunities, with something for everyone—and that Heroes MAKE America can help them find it.

• “It’s not about finding a manufacturing job; it’s about finding a job in a manufacturing company,” said Fields. “There are so many different kinds of roles and opportunities.”
• “If you’re unsure about finding a job in manufacturing, attending the virtual career fair is a great option to meet with companies to see what they have to offer, even if you think this industry isn’t something that you would normally consider,” added Barkdoll.

Advice to manufacturers: Fields encourages other employers to connect with the Heroes MAKE America program and see everything that a veteran brings to the table.

• “Some of us may not have hands-on experience for the position you’re trying to fill, but we’re trainable,” said Fields. “So ask yourself: Can I train up for this position?”

The last word: “Take a chance on a veteran,” said Fields. “You’ll get a great employee out of it.”

Nearly 100 veterans attended a manufacturing career fair at Fort Riley, Kansas, last week, including many who had prepared for their new careers via the Heroes MAKE America program (Kansas Biz News).

What’s going on: “The career fair and other events held by Heroes MAKE America and Manufacturing Institute [the NAM’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate] aim to grow the manufacturing industry’s workers for the advancement of modern manufacturing and offer programs, including informational sessions, career fairs, networking, career readiness, placement support and manufacturing tours.”

• More than 30 regional and national manufacturers had booths at the event.

How it helps: HMA—an MI program with a 90% graduate placement rate—offers career help to job seekers transitioning out of the military and into the civilian workforce. The aid is in the form of training and introductions to manufacturing leaders seeking employees.

• One military member who attended the fair said “she’s received help with resume writing, interviewing for jobs and how to translate military experience into tools you can use in the civilian world.”
• HMA, which hosts virtual career fairs throughout the year, also offers resources to employers. These include online training, courses and access to the research of the Society of Human Resource Management Foundation.

Why it’s important: The industry could create about 3.8 million new manufacturing jobs on net between this year and 2033, according to a new study by Deloitte and the MI.

• However, if the current manufacturing employee deficit is not shored up, approximately half of these jobs—or 1.9 million—could go unfilled.

What’s next: Interested employers can participate in an information session to be held later this month, where they can learn more about attracting, hiring and retaining military talent through upcoming career fairs and virtual hiring events.

The last word: “Members of the military community often possess valuable skills and qualities—such as discipline, teamwork, leadership and problem-solving abilities—that are in demand for manufacturing careers,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee.

• “That’s why manufacturers are increasingly connecting with this top talent through an array of resources provided by the MI’s Heroes MAKE America initiative.”

Marvin, a window and door manufacturer based in Warroad, Minnesota, is looking thousands of miles south to fill job openings (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).

What’s going on: Marvin employs about 700 people at its Warroad location. With older-generation workers retiring at the rate of about one employee a week and a town population that hasn’t grown in decades, the company “came up with a recruitment plan called ‘The Path North,’ which aims to find workers in Puerto Rico and Florida willing to uproot their families and settle in a cold northern town”—but it’s proving a difficult sell, even with generous relocation bonuses and temporary housing.

• Unemployment in Puerto Rico and Florida is low, so Marvin is fishing for talent in relatively sparsely populated ponds.
• Of the 115 workers who came from Puerto Rico in the past eight or nine months, just 63 remain at the company.
• Marvin has 10 other locations throughout North America.

Why it’s important: Marvin’s challenge is emblematic of “manufacturing in America today. The U.S. population is barely growing, baby boomers are exiting the workforce,” many young people are unaware of the many advantages of working in manufacturing and “[t]here is little political will for lasting immigration reform that could fill workforce gaps.”

• If current trends continue, the U.S. will have 2.1 million open manufacturing positions by 2030, according to a joint study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate.

Well worth it: Still, for those who come to Marvin, the rewards are significant.

• The company helps employees find permanent housing and is even an investor in a local apartment complex.
• There is job security, too. When orders slowed at one of its factories a few years ago, the company offered cash bonuses to employees willing to relocate to Warroad.
• Marvin has also helped Warroad schools hire Spanish-language translators to assist the children of new hires.

The final say: “Tapping into new talent pools is especially critical in rural areas, whether it’s done via relocation support, engaging second chance populations or participating in initiatives such as the Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America program, which is building connections between the military community and the manufacturing industry by bringing in new workers,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “We need to engage all talent pools to fill the 500,000 jobs in manufacturing today.”

Employment in manufacturing remained essentially the same in April as it was in March, according to data out today from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Overall employment increased by 175,000.

What’s going on: Manufacturing employed a seasonally adjusted 12,961,000 workers in April, up just marginally from 12,953,000 in March and 12,957,000 in February.

• The number of people employed in manufacturing was also up only slightly from April 2023, when it was a seasonally adjusted 12,941,000.

Durable goods vs. nondurable: There were a seasonally adjusted 8,144,000 workers in durable goods manufacturing in April, flat from March’s number.

• Nondurable goods had a seasonally adjusted 4,817,000 employees, also essentially unchanged from the prior month.

Workweek: The average workweek in the manufacturing industry was unchanged from March, at 40.0 hours.

• In the larger economy, the workweek for all nonfarm employees inched down by 0.1 hour in April, to 34.3 hours.

​​​​​​​Earnings: Average earnings in manufacturing were also little changed from March to April, coming in at $33.61 an hour in the latest reading, down only slightly from $33.65, but up from February’s $33.44.

The U.S. fertility rate is at record lows (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).

What’s going on: “The total fertility rate fell to 1.62 births per woman in 2023, a 2% decline from a year earlier, federal data released Thursday showed. It is the lowest rate recorded since the government began tracking it in the 1930s.”

• The data reflect a continuing trend: American women, across ethnic groups, are delaying or foregoing having children.
• In 2023, the number of U.S. births was the lowest in 44 years.

Why it’s happening: “A confluence of factors are at play. American women are having fewer children, later in life. Women are establishing fulfilling careers and have more access to contraception.”

• As a group, they are also increasingly uncertain about their futures “and spending more of their income on homeownership, student debt and child care.”

The details: From 2022 to 2023, birthrates declined more among younger women.

• “Women in their mid-to-late 30s are having children at similar rates to those in their early to mid-20s. Birthrates for women 35–39 fell to 54.7 births per 1,000 women—closer to the rates for women 20–24, which dropped 4% to 55.4 births per 1,000 women in 2023.”
• Birthrates among women in their 40s stayed the same.

Why it’s important: Fewer U.S. births could reshape the economy and “other facets of American life.”

• However, “[a]n influx of people immigrating to the U.S. could offset the impact of lower birthrates on the U.S. population’s size,” said Brady Hamilton, a co-author of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that includes the data findings. “Immigration has risen in recent years, easing labor shortages and expanding the population of big metropolitan areas.”

​​​​​​​Read more: For a comprehensive blueprint on U.S. immigration reform, download “A Way Forward,” the NAM’s recommendations to Congress on the subject.
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