Child Care Is the Key to a Robust Industrial Workforce
Manufacturers are experimenting with ways to accommodate parents to meet their hiring needs.
Manufacturers need workers. Workers need child care.
Photographer: Micah Green/Bloomberg
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During the peak of the pandemic labor supply crunch, many manufacturers couldn’t get products out the door because of a lack of people to make them. The number of unfilled factory jobs is now about half what it was at the April 2022 high point, and most CEOs say hiring has become easier, but attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce still ranks top of mind for manufacturers. Their hiring needs are only set to grow amid a revitalization of the US supply chain. Manufacturers have long complained about a lack of workers. The difference now is that they’re much more willing to get creative about addressing the problem. GE Appliances is offering part-time manufacturing jobs and condensed schedules that allow workers to take three days off each week. Companies such as Eaton Corp. and Union Pacific Corp. have invested in second-chance hiring programs to tap into the large pool of potential workers with criminal records. Siemens AG has a robust internal workforce training curriculum.