Future workforce trends

140471-01 Manufacturing industries around the world are experiencing serious challenges in attracting highly skilled labor. By 2030, there are expected to be 2.1 million unfilled manufacturing jobs in the United States. More than 80 percent of manufacturers in China suffered labor shortages last year. In Japan, South Korea, and Western Europe, ageing populations will lead to large reductions in the number of workers. In these countries, labor shortages have become an urgent and worsening problem.

At the same time, our workforce is aging. Therefore, it is critical to find effective ways to attract and retain senior workers with a wealth of knowledge and expertise.

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Elderly workers at the Migatronic factory

To attract and retain senior workers, providing ongoing skills development and training opportunities is critical. This not only allows them to keep up with industry trends and technologies, but also inspires them to work passionately and combine their extensive experience to grow the company. At the same time, the introduction of collaborative robots to reduce physical labor and adapt to the physical needs of older workers can create a more supportive work environment and enhance their contributions. For example, Carbody, a French company, alleviates the physical burden of a model worker with a collaborative robot, enabling him to continue working. At our factory in Odense, Denmark, collaborative robots have become an integral part of our production and daily work.

140471-01 In short, while robots on the factory floor may seem far removed from the field of work of human resources professionals, they are in fact closely related. Robotics presents a huge opportunity for businesses to not only improve production efficiency and product quality, but also create a safer, more fulfilling and superior work environment for employees.

So my message to HR practitioners is to actively embrace and leverage new technologies for strategic workforce planning. The future of work will require innovation, and it is our responsibility to lead that innovation.