Help wanted: AI-enabled manufacturer seeking intelligent people and robots
Technology is no substitute for talent, but when you lose skilled labor and neglect to nurture a pipeline, technology solutions can help bridge the gap. Most industry reports published within the past few years indicate that manufacturers worldwide are prioritizing upskilling and reskilling their current workforce, recruiting and retaining top talent, and augmenting labor with automation. There is also an effort to bring skilled retirees back to work and transfer knowledge and experience to train technology solutions and employees.
Eaton’s recent research report, The Impact of the Labor Shortage on Machine Builders, stated that 79% of respondents are feeling the impacts of skills and workforce gaps on their operations, especially in product development and production. Such product development teams are emphasizing recruitment for highly skilled technical people, whereas production teams are prioritizing automation solutions.
Rockwell Automation’s 2025 State of Smart Manufacturing Report revealed similar trends and stated that 41% of surveyed manufacturers are using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation to address skills and labor gaps. Additionally, 47% of respondents agreed that using AI is extremely important within their organizations, and pretty much everybody thinks AI will have the most significant impact on workforce concerns.
Now last year, Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute predicted that manufacturers will need 3.8 million new employees by 2033. However, about half of those positions may go unfilled as applicant pools dwindle, further widening the workforce gap at every level, from entry to highly skilled. But that data was captured before international trade and tariff agreements went haywire. According to the National Association of Manufacturers’ Q2 2025 update, manufacturers are now more concerned about trade uncertainties, raw materials, and economic conditions than they are about workforce retention.
With all the various data out there attempting to capture what is really going on in manufacturing today, a few things are crystal clear: (1) AI and automation are not a threat to manufacturing jobs but a necessity to make any future jobs available; (2) we need more people, not fewer, and we need them to be smarter; and (3) companies that prioritize intelligence in their workforce and technologies will survive and surpass those that do not.
Rachael Pasini
Editor-in-Chief
linkedin.com/in/rachaelpasini
Filed Under: AI Engineering Collective, AI • machine learning, DIGITAL ISSUES • DESIGN WORLD