A survey of the MAPI Human Resources Council was conducted to obtain benchmarking metrics around how manufacturing companies represented on the Council are addressing their needs for talent (at both the production worker and managerial/professional levels) and the specific gaps that exist between supply and demand for various types of positions and skills.

The survey results indicate workforce skill gaps among entry-level and advanced production positions. The most challenging shortages appear to be for welders, machine operators without computer skills, controls techs, and engineering techs without engineering degrees. For both entry-level and intermediate/advanced skills manufacturing positions, informal supervisor and non-supervisor training on methods for performing a job is the most widely used internal training method, though a large majority of the respondents conduct in-person classes taught by outside or internal instructors.