The U.S. manufacturing industry’s skilled labor shortage has been widely reported in the past decade. Millions of jobs became vacant due to the retirement of baby boomers and economic expansion. Until recently, experts predicted that half of these open positions would remain unfilled due to the fact that fewer than 10 percent of high school and college graduates annually enter the manufacturing field.
COVID-19 may change this, says Carolyn Lee, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers.