Going the nontraditional route

It seems most of those in manufacturing are concerned about who will step into the ranks to fill the shoes of the baby boomers, who are giving more thought to the lazy days of retirement than to the workdays of the wage earner. A look at any metal fabricating shop floor in the U.S. is evidence that this concern is based on real demographic trends. The gray in workers’ hair is caused by age, not stress, no matter how hectic production gets on a typical day.

The industry hardly has been quiet as it tries to entice the younger generation, the millennials (those born in the early 1980s and the first generation to come of age in the 21st century). Manufacturers regularly open their doors to the public. (In fact, MFG Day is slated for Oct. 2 this year, and it’s not too early to start organizing an open house event to celebrate it.) Business leaders are reaching out to local school districts and trying to promote more emphasis on technical education courses. Enrollments are up at welding and vocational schools as students look to make money instead of borrowing it for exorbitant college tuitions. Manufacturing is truly beginning to shed its dark and dank past to embrace a brighter spotlight in the public’s eye.

Is this focus on the millennials truly worth the effort? It’s easy to understand why manufacturing companies want young minds that they can mold to their work environments and who don’t have bad work habits fostered for years at other companies. Frankly, these younger people work for less money as well. But the truth of the matter is that these folks aren’t necessarily thinking about a lifetime employment commitment. Millennials crave mentoring, constant challenges, and training, and they often hop from job to job looking for them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) verifies this fact. In its “America’s Young Adults at 27” report, the BLS suggests that the average young adult in the U.S. has held on average 6.2 jobs by age 26.

Certainly, manufacturers have an uphill battle as they try to convince young people to try a manufacturing career, but the fight must continue because even small successes are important. In “Overwhelming support: U.S. public opinions on the manufacturing industry," sponsored by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, survey respondents with a “high” familiarity of manufacturing said they have much more positive opinions about it and are twice as likely to encourage children to pursue manufacturing careers. The same report found that when asked if their parents encouraged them to pursue a career in manufacturing, only 19 percent of students surveyed said “yes.” There remains a lot of general public relations work to be done.

What metal fabricators should consider in light of this is a new focus on the nontraditional new hire—someone with work experience, but not necessarily in manufacturing. Fabricators constantly moan about workers that simply can’t show up on time for work regularly or stay drug-free. Workers are certainly doing that for other employers. Why not entice them to try something else?

The metal fabricating industry has its fair share of workers who didn’t start out in the industry. In the 2015 readership study for The FABRICATOR, 32 percent of the 137 respondents indicated that they entered the metal fabrication business after making a career change. The variety of jobs, the chance to solve problems, the ability to work with their hands—something persuaded them to join the metal fabricating ranks.

Metal fabricators have a great story to share with the world. They shouldn’t focus all of their attention on millennials, however. There’s a whole world of people looking for meaningful work, and a career change might be just the thing they are waiting for.