MI, Deloitte Study: AI Could Help Close Skills Gap

Artificial intelligence could help manufacturers address persistent workforce shortages by expanding the pool of qualified applicants, reimagining workflows and supplementing on-the-job training, according to a new study from the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s 501(c)(3) workforce development and education affiliate, and Deloitte.

The process: Embedding AI in new workflows could help workers develop critical knowledge and skills, helping pools of workers with manufacturing-adjacent skills take on new roles in the industry, according to the study.

• The analysis identifies nearly 2 million technicians in adjacent industries whose broad skills may be transferable to manufacturing.
• These workers could represent an important source of talent for manufacturers seeking to broaden pathways into technician roles and strengthen their workforce pipeline, and AI could play a crucial role.

Future needs: Deloitte analysis estimates that manufacturing technician employment could grow six times faster than production occupations in manufacturing between 2025 and 2030.

• It also indicates that employers may need to fill 2.3 million job openings across manufacturing and adjacent industry technician occupations during the same period, due to both employment growth and replacement needs from retirements, other labor force exits and occupational transfers.

The bottom line: By digitizing technical knowledge and putting critical information at workers’ fingertips, AI could help bridge skills gaps, reduce time spent searching for answers, empower workers transitioning from adjacent fields and enable experienced manufacturing workers to focus on higher value tasks.

The MI says: “AI has the potential to change not only how manufacturing work gets done, but also how people prepare for and succeed in these critical roles,” said MI President Carolyn Lee.

• “By building AI fluency and digital skills into the training programs we already know work, we can prepare more people for the jobs of the future, close critical skills gaps and strengthen America’s manufacturing workforce.”

Deloitte says: “AI could help manufacturers make technical expertise more accessible while preserving the judgment and experience of the people doing the work,” said Deloitte Industrial Products and Construction Sector Leader Steve Shepley.

• “The industry now has the opportunity to redesign workflows, broaden pathways into technician roles and give workers the support they need to develop and perform in more complex jobs.”

What’s next: The MI is spearheading efforts to equip manufacturing workers with the necessary skills to fully deploy AI on the shop floor with its new AI Skills Initiative, designed to educate future and current manufacturing workers.