The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is proud to issue its latest Future of Work supplemental report: our Labor Market & Skills Report for Manufacturing created in partnership with Deloitte Consulting and Valdos Consulting. In 2024, the ARM Institute set out alongside Deloitte Consulting and Valdos Consulting to assess the current workforce landscape within the U.S., understand the current level of skills sets by region, by technology, by skill level and by generational cohort. This research was supported by Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program.
As manufacturers integrate more advanced manufacturing solutions into their processes, technological advancements and their associated career pathways are outpacing the skill attainment of the manufacturing workforce. This is causing the skills profile of the manufacturing workforce to undergo a dramatic shift, with substantial changes due to the increased use of robotics and automation.
The need for skilled advanced manufacturing employees has never been greater. To ensure the continued competitiveness and readiness of this sector, it is imperative to understand the dynamics of the workforce, anticipate future skill requirements, and strategize training initiatives accordingly.
The findings in this research report provide actionable insights for employers across manufacturing. In light of the historic manufacturing workforce shortage and as our nation looks to re-shore manufacturing and rebuild the military by revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), efforts to prepare the U.S. manufacturing workforce for the changes necessitated by the use of robotics, AI, and other advanced technologies have never been more important.
To ensure alignment with the key focus areas of the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII), the data in our report is focused on the following areas:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Robotics
- Additive Manufacturing
- Bioengineering
- Advanced Computing
- Semiconductor Processing
- Materials Engineering
- Machining and Industrial Engineering
- Non-Destructive Testing
- Welding