Do you think manufacturing is in trouble or experiencing a rebound? Can both be true at the same time? CGK President and researcher Jason Dorsey gives his answer is below.
Jason grew up in a manufacturing town and was raised to believe that manufacturing businesses were critically important. In Jason’s case, a manufacturing plant was the major employer in his small town. This manufacturing company supported local charities, brought tourists to tour the plant and sample the ice cream, and where his friends’ parents worked.
In early January, Jason gave his first in-person speech of the year on behalf of CGK and a brand-new national research study specific to manufacturing. The event was an annual meeting of manufacturing executives, managers, and innovators from across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
He spoke with them about the urgent challenge of the changing workforce. The impact of global shifts and structural opportunities. Inflation. Inflation. Inflation. And most important to Jason: What works now to attract and keep employees in manufacturing jobs?
Jason noticed that there was one point of view that become clear, there are tremendous opportunities in manufacturing for leaders and teams motivated and able to adapt to generational change, technology trends, and macro realities. However, for those not able or willing to adapt, things are going to continue to get more challenging and frustrating.
With that said, Jason shared he had never been more inspired and excited about the future of manufacturing than when he was at this three-day meeting!!!
The path ahead for manufacturing—and any industry—is not easy or without risk, but the opportunity for those who lean on data to innovate with *practical actions* is incredibly exciting. Communities will benefit. Employees will benefit. Families will benefit. We will benefit.
We want to extend a big thank you to our great client for bringing Jason to speak at their event for the third time, for collaborating on a first-of-its-kind national manufacturing employee recruiting and retention study, and for the opportunity to learn and grow over the coming twelve months as we implement the discoveries and solutions across their businesses.
And a big thank you to each of you for being on this journey of speaking, researching, learning, and innovating with Jason and the CGK Team. We are grateful to you and incredibly excited to continue sharing all the discoveries and adventures 2023 will bring.
