How the Metals Manufacturing Industry Could Be Big for Gen Z

While the metals industry is expected to grow in upcoming years, a talent shortage has incentivized appeal to a new generation of employees. Luckily, manufacturing has a lot to offer young professionals. Here are some ways in which the metals manufacturing industry could be significant for Gen Z.

Increasing Job Opportunities

The industry has seen a surge in employees reaching retirement age. At the same time, fewer individuals have chosen manufacturing as their career path over the past decade. Even though this has led to a labor shortage, it also means hundreds of new jobs have opened up in metals manufacturing. Generation Z is in the best position to fill these gaps.

Changing Attitudes

As a generation, millennials largely shunned industries like manufacturing that involved a lot of manual labor. They saw these types of jobs as loud and dirty. Instead, millennials flocked to technology, healthcare, finance, engineering, and other fields that are viewed as exciting and dynamic. Recent surveys and trends have shown that Gen Z has a more positive attitude towards the manufacturing industry than the generation before them. Many different organizations have participated in outreach to schools to raise awareness about the benefits of working in the field, which has helped fuel renewed interest in manufacturing jobs.

What We Have to Offer

Gen Z is actively looking for career paths where they can make good money without needing a four-year college degree. Because the cost of higher education has increased so rapidly over the past couple of decades, many members of Generation Z had to watch their parents struggle with debt from student loans. Manufacturing offers various career paths that don’t require a 4-year degree, and many require vocational training. At the same time, many jobs in metal manufacturing pay well; and there is room for career advancement.

Technology in Manufacturing

Like most industries, technology is changing the nature of manufacturing. In upcoming years, Gen Z won’t have to fill the same roles filled by retiring boomers. Instead, many of these positions will incorporate the technological skills Gen Z already has. Gen Z grew up surrounded by technology, so many of them want to work closely with technology. Factories have begun to use all kinds of innovative technology, including artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, 3D printing, biotechnology, and more. These advancements have made the industry more appealing to younger professionals. Meanwhile, companies can continue to make their workplaces more attractive by updating their factories’ technology.

Between having a diverse array of job openings and advancements in technology, the metals manufacturing industry could be huge for Gen Z. Many college-aged adults are looking for jobs that don’t require a 4-year degree yet still offer solid pay, great benefits, and opportunities for them to work with innovative technology. In this sense, metals manufacturing has a lot to offer Gen Z.