The Skills Gap Holds Back the Industry

The Manufacturing Workforce Trails in Higher Education

While the manufacturing workforce has become more educated, it is still behind the overall economy in some measures of educational attainment. Data from 2013 show that the share of the manufacturing workforce with a B.A. degree or higher—29.5%—is slightly more than 8 percentage points below the economy-wide average.

The U.S. needs to educate and train workers with the necessary skills for performing in a technologically cutting-edge and globally oriented factory sector. This requires coordination between industry, public schools, and post-secondary institutions to align education with evolving industry needs.