Author:   R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D. 

This country was built on the labor and work output of its citizens. President Trump, through many of his policies such as tariffs, eliminating unnecessary regulations, and encouraging cheap energy production is seeking to return manufacturing back to America. Once known as the manufacturing super power of the world, we have allowed ourselves to become dependent on other countries, especially communist China. Not smart.

Accomplishing the manufacturing goals he has set for our country will require not only government incentives and encouragement to build new factories and expanding existing capacity, but, most importantly, an effective and readily available workforce. Currently, it is estimated that there are close to 500,000 vacant jobs in the manufacturing sector of our economy. This problem was verified in a recent survey of 200 companies by the Manufacturing Institute. More than 65% of the companies surveyed reported that recruiting and retention of workers was the number one business challenge that they face.As manufacturers expand their production, this problem will only get worse unless steps are taken to expand available manufacturing workers. The problem will be made worse by the high percentage of manufacturing workers who are approaching retirement age.

One step that needs to be taken is to correct the false notion that modern manufacturing jobs are dirty, monotonous, and potentially dangerous. The reality is that current manufacturing takes place in high technology facilities that are safe and efficient. There is also the notion that manufacturing jobs are the purview of the lower class and are poorly paid. The reality in many cases is quite the opposite. Our younger people are being raised to believe that a college degree in just about any academic field will guarantee a successful well-paying career. As many graduates are finding out, that is not the case. The knowledge gained in many college majors does not align with what is actually needed in the real world. Tremendous amounts of money are expended on useless degrees that do not provide preparation for available jobs in today’s economy. Our country does not need more liberal arts degree graduates. College students should be encouraged and incentivized to pursue courses in engineering, technical training and financial skills needed by our expanding manufacturing companies. To give you an example, the son of a friend of mine graduated last year from college with a degree in the social sciences. Unable to find employment, he decided to take some courses in refrigeration and air conditioning at a local community college and immediately was able to get a good paying job with a local refrigeration company. It turns out that the small investment in courses at the community college, gave a much better return on investment, than his four-year degree.

Another step, would be increasing technical courses in high schools. Coupling this with part-time and summer jobs in the manufacturing sector will encourage students to pursue this type of career and job opportunity. Apprentice training should also be expanded.

Of course, the pay scale for manufacturing jobs must be sufficient to attract and retain skilled workers. President Trump’s tariffs should help make American manufacturing competitive with other countries. Penalties for stealing our manufacturing knowledge and advances must be put in place. For too long we have allowed countries like China to steal our intellectual properties. This is the only way we can ensure that the productivity of our workers will outpace other countries and allow us to pay higher wages.  While wages and career opportunities are primary incentives, we must also remove disincentives to work such as too many social and welfare programs that diminish the work ethic. Marxism destroys the motivation to succeed through hard work and encourages dependence on the government.

These suggestions should all help solve the worker shortage. We should not allow ourselves to rely on immigration as the source of needed workers. We are already having an assimilation problem in this country due the recent flood of immigrants. Immigration must be restricted to only those who are likely to accept our culture and traditions, otherwise we risk losing the essence of who we are as is happening in several European countries. We must focus on our citizens to provide what is needed to keep our country prosperous.