The Skills Gap Holds Back the Industry

The Age Gap Between Manufacturing and the Overall Workforce Is Widening

The U.S., like other rich nations, is in the early stages of a period of dramatic population aging. The share of the population that is 65 and older increased from 15% in 1990 to 18% in 2013; by 2025, United Nations demographers predict that nearly one-quarter of the United States will be in this cohort.

The manufacturing sector appears to be disproportionately experiencing the ramifications of an aging workforce. In 2000, the median age of the manufacturing workforce—at 40.5—was 1.1 years above the median age of the total workforce. By 2013, this gap grew to 2.5 years, with manufacturing’s median age of 44.9 years exceeding the 42.4 years for the total workforce.

The U.S. factory sector clearly needs an influx of young talent. In addition to focusing on educational needs, the nation must convince its university graduates and younger workers that there are rewards in a manufacturing career.