Are Millennial Men Missing From the Manufacturing Job Market?

There are currently half a million young men missing from the job market, and Bloomberg's report on millennial men leaving a hole in the U.S. job market is suggesting it’s because they are tired of long days and minimum wage positions they aren’t enthusiastic about.

While Canadian Millennials are generally more likely to be working and / or own a home than their American counterparts, much of that success is explained by the economic success of Canadian women, according to a TD economics report. Millennial men, aged 25 to 34, are absent from all industries, including manufacturing.

With the aging baby boomer population approaching retirement, a succession plan needs to be put into place, and quickly. Millennial men could play a large role in the future of your company, but to get them in the door, we must look at new ways of reaching them.

3 Ways to Market Manufacturing to Millennial Men

To fill manufacturing job vacancies and plan for succession, there are three ways to reach millennial men. When posting job openings and discussing strategies with local workforce development officers, consider highlighting these aspects of manufacturing that make it a secure, exciting, and rewarding career.

1. Highlight High Pay and Highly Skilled Work

Prospective employees may have no idea that manufacturing is a well-paid industry. Young men may think that the only opportunities available are lower-skill factory or assembly line positions, and that there would be no improvement in salary from their previous jobs at a low hourly wage. There are many ways to dispel the myths about manufacturing, and it might be worthwhile to state the pay range in your job postings in order to convey how steady and lucrative a job in manufacturing is.

Millennial men aren’t just tired of low-paying jobs; they’re also tired of the menial nature of the jobs that they have had, according to the Bloomberg report: “Millennial Men Leave Perplexing Hole in Hot U.S. Job Market”. Stating how advanced and multifaceted a manufacturing job is would help to educate young men on how this career might be exactly what they are looking for.

2. Emphasize That Jobs and Training Are Available Now

The millennial men missing from the workforce are a huge untapped potential for your business. An injection of young, new perspectives from men who want a secure job would be beneficial to the workforce.

Actively promoting positions in manufacturing can include the company’s desire to welcome fresh new approaches, as well as those with and without training. In-house training options should be described so that the potential workforce pool is widened; some millennials may be cautious of applying to highly skilled positions without the appropriate training.

Any training programs in your region that are well suited to your industry can also be advertised. If you are open to hiring apprentices, job postings can emphasize that new employees earn money and learn at the same time. Additionally, there are programs in place that prepare workers specifically for manufacturing and food industry jobs in few short weeks, such as the Elevate PLUS program at Loyalist College.

3. Showcase How Exciting and Fulfilling Manufacturing Careers Are

Millennial men are tired of meaningless and menial work. It’s important to clarify what manufacturing actually entails for workers. You know that modern manufacturing plants are high-tech facilities, using cutting-edge technology to solve complex problems for today and the future - but millennials might not.

Manufacturing is an exciting industry that is constantly evolving as it adopts new technology. In other words, there is always something new for employees to learn, a fresh problem to solve, and the knowledge that daily work is contributing meaningfully to the world.

Wages are important to workers, but highlighting the perks that include continuous learning, growth, and contribution is key to attracting an engaged workforce. Publishing case studies of past work projects on your company’s website or social media channels, along with employee testimonials of how they enjoy their fast-paced careers, could help to communicate these ideas to potential new hires.

Building the Manufacturing Workforce of Tomorrow

By highlighting the benefits of a career in manufacturing, millennials who haven’t yet found meaningful work will be armed with information on new job opportunities. Raising awareness of the industry - including the fact that jobs and training are readily available - and explaining how interesting and fulfilling the high-tech work is, are key to attracting the workforce required for the future of your business.

Download this e-book, What’s Keeping the Next Generation from a Career in Manufacturing, to learn more about the barriers between millennials and manufacturing.