Technology & Innovation

Strategies for tackling the rising skills gap: A manufacturing challenge

February 12, 2018

North America

February 12, 2018

North America
Veronica Lara

Senior Editor, Americas

Veronica is a senior editor for The Economist Intelligence Unit's thought leadership division in New York. She specialises in market environment topics and trends that cut across industries, including the future of work, technological disruption, and economic competitiveness. In addition to these areas, she has led projects on advancements in manufacturing, historic energy demand trends, and socioeconomic topics such as organised labour, post-war impact investing and growth of cities.

Until July 2014 Veronica was the EIU's commerce and regulations analyst for 29 countries, mostly in the emerging markets. She has written for various EIU publications, on subjects such as financial inclusion, international trade, and policies aimed at attracting investment and promoting innovation.

Veronica holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in international relations from New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. Before joining the EIU, she covered industries as diverse as defense, logistics and mining for a research advisory firm.

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There will be an estimated 3.5 million available manufacturing jobs by 2025

At a time of significant technological change, manufacturers are recognizing the need to develop new strategies to recruit employees and upskill their current workforce. Yet achieving these goals is particularly tough, as tepid perceptions of the sector often lead top talent to resist careers in manufacturing.

A new survey, conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and sponsored by Prudential, finds that more than one in three manufacturing executives see recruiting and retaining workers with the right skills as one of their greatest challenges. But manufacturing is evolving for a new industrial age and is forging new paths to secure talent in the process.

Learn more by downloading our article below. 

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