Technology is having a profound effect on the manufacturing industry, with the integration of artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, automation and analytics redefining the workforce and workplace. And though the manufacturing workforce has been absorbing new technology for more than two centuries, the rate at which these advances are currently being adopted have accelerated beyond shifts of even the recent past. 

Machines will be able to carry out more of the tasks done by humans, complement the work that humans do, and even perform some tasks that go beyond what humans can perform. 



The scale up of automation across the economy will be disruptive, just as other technology adoptions have been disruptive in the past. But the challenge will be for businesses to embrace this, as it provides an opportunity for them to develop new services and products, boost productivity, create new jobs and add significant value to the economy. 

Employers need to plan for the inevitable restructuring brought on by automation and will need to make investments to ensure workers can adapt to a workplace that includes AI. 

Reskilling and upskilling workers will become vital 

Roles in the manufacturing industry are more likely to be subject to augmentation rather than automation, particularly production managers, engineering production workers and manufacturers. This means that rather than jobs being altogether replaced by automation, employers will need to up-skill and re-skill as technology alters the activities they perform at work and the skills they need. This will include both generalist skills and specialist skills. 

According to insights from McKinsey, four types of work activities will see an increase in demand; 

• working with machines (technology skills) 
• applying specialised expertise (higher cognitive skills) 
• interacting with stakeholders (social skills), and 
• managing, teaching and developing people (emotional skills) 

Many manufacturing jobs will rely on machines to collect data and require employees to take specific physical actions based on this information. These workers will need the cognitive skills to identify patterns, detect problems and prescribe courses of action. They will also need collaborative and emotional skills to create more effective teams, maintain productive and social workplaces, and engage with an ever-wider pool of customers. 

Interestingly, though it’s easy to think that more machines mean less human interaction, it appears this won’t be the case. It’s predicted that workers will spend 66 percent more time using technology by the year 2030, but they will also spend 43 percent more time in personal interactions that require social and emotional skills, such as leadership, management or teaching. By contrast, however, the amount of time spent performing physical and routine activities will shrink. 

Training for new jobs 

According to an ACS report, 193,000 manufacturing jobs are at risk of automation over the next 15 years, however an additional 122,000 new jobs could be created within the manufacturing Industry; 55 percent of these would be technical jobs, while 45 percent would be non-technical. 

While this number seems significant, it isn’t entirely surprising. For example, a third of the new jobs created in the United States in the past 25 years didn’t exist at the start of that period, and 70 percent of these were linked to technology. Just as it would have been impossible to imagine web developers and social media marketers 50 years ago, it may be hard to envision today the new types of digital specialists that will be required within the manufacturing industry of tomorrow. 

While upskilling and retraining will be vital for manufacturing jobs that will alter significantly, providing employees with new types of training and opportunities will be crucial when new roles begin to make themselves available. 

If you’re looking to reskill and upskill your workforce, learn more about Acclaimed Workforce’s tailored training and upskilling services here.