Overcoming Workforce Challenges from Onboarding to Upskilling

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Everyone seems to be talking about workforce and staffing, but after the pandemic, staffing for manufacturing jobs became an even greater challenge. In April, IPC published a white paper, “Building Electronics Better: A Plan to Address the Workforce Challenges Facing the Electronics Manufacturing Industry.” The paper addresses myriad issues surrounding workforce recruitment, development, and retention while outlining a specific approach to tackle these challenges.

IPC Vice President of Education David Hernandez was one of three authors of the white paper. In this interview, he explains how we arrived at our current situation and how we can learn from our mistakes to build a more robust and effective manufacturing workforce for the future.

Marcy LaRont: What are the main workforce challenges today?

David Hernandez: One of the most difficult and urgent challenges facing the electronics industry is a chronic shortage of adequately skilled workers. Electronics manufacturers globally report that their growth is constrained by an inability to recruit, onboard, retain, and upskill workers.

Our white paper traces this dearth of qualified workers to issues affecting four essential factors: talent pipeline, onboarding, career pathways, and upskilling. Each of these factors are interrelated and therefore must be addressed in a holistic manner. For example, a successful talent pipeline will bring new workers into the industry, but many of those workers will leave if they do not have career pathways to guide their professional growth.

LaRont: How do the “post-pandemic workforce shifts” cited in the paper inform what we do today, and how that breaks tradition?

Hernandez: That is a complex question. One of the significant shifts in the workforce is the increasing desire of employees to work from home. Many companies in sectors such as software technology provide the flexibility of working from home or a combination of both remote and in-office work. This is much less common in manufacturing, where staff members work with a variety of large machines, materials, and processes. It is also difficult for most manufacturers to compete with companies like Google and Facebook in terms of salaries.

However, we can counter this by emphasizing our industry's competitiveness and the potential for rapid career growth. In contrast to technology companies, where progression may be slow, the manufacturing sector offers the potential for significant career advancement and improved benefits. Although starting salaries and benefits may not be as attractive initially, the likelihood of progressing to higher salaries and better benefits is considerably higher in the manufacturing industry.

Educating potential employees about these opportunities raises awareness about rewarding careers in our industry and reduces the appeal of employers in other sectors.

To read the entire interview, which originally published in the June 2024 PCB007 Magazine, click here.