Workforce in Focus
Preview: Workforce Training Survey Results
Manufacturers consistently cite the inability to attract and retain talent as a top business challenge. Companies are addressing the skills shortage through various means, including by upskilling their existing workforce. At the same time, the sector has become more advanced, necessitating more training to keep existing workers up to date with new technologies and improved processes.
We recently closed our Manufacturing Workforce Training Survey, which measured these training efforts, giving us a glimpse of how manufacturers are ensuring that their workers have the skills needed to be successful at their jobs.
- Increasing Investment in Training: In our 2020 report, manufacturers were asked about total annual spending on in-house and external training for new and existing employees. Based on the responses, we estimated that the sector spent at least $26.2 billion in 2019 on training. In our 2026 survey, we’ve found that the industry-wide total has increased to $31.9 billion, a 22% increase.
- Type of Training: When asked what types of training they regularly engage in for US employees, the largest share (88.4%) reported using job-related technical skills training, followed by 70.9% utilizing cross-functional training.
- Challenges for Training: Scheduling (65.1%), interrupting work hours (68.9%), and cost (47.6%) continue to be the biggest obstacles to training their workforces.
Stay tuned for the release of the full findings.
