High-tech skills come at high price

By Karen Hanna  

Leveraging the advantages of an increasingly connected manufacturing ecosystem takes smarts, technical know-how and the communication skills to bridge the realities of the shop floor with the goals of the C-suite. 

If you’re looking to add those skills, better brace yourself to pay a premium. From salaries and benefits to workplace culture, everything is on the table when it comes to luring and retaining people who can take full advantage of Industry 4.0. 

“Attracting and retaining the niche talent the plastics industry demands means benefits and perks have to be on point. This means employers may have to concede to some shiny new offerings to attract the very best candidate for the job,” said Kelli Stanton, VP of North American sales for staffing agency Manpower. 

Setting expectations 

To feel assured tomorrow’s top talent will one day take their places in your production facilities, you have to know what they want. Providing it might mean shaking up the workplace.  

“From my experience in the manufacturing sector, I’ve observed that while it offers rewarding opportunities to bring designs to life, it can be quite demanding. Challenges like long hours, hazardous environments, limited infrastructure and repetitive workflows can affect job satisfaction and growth,” 26-year-old engineer Saptarshi Ghosh said. “However, these challenges also present a chance for meaningful innovation and change." 

He wants to make an impact and have an opportunity to exercise his creativity. 

Grant Richards, a professor in Purdue University’s School of Engineering Technology, sees the same ambitions in his own students, some of whom are pursuing smart manufacturing majors.  

“They want to be given the opportunity to go in, discover and make some change, and given the responsibility and the latitude to be able to do so,” Richards said. 

A member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Young Professionals, Ghosh has a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and works with cutting-edge semiconductors for AI applications at Intel Corp. But his interests go beyond Silicon Valley.  

“I aspire to make manufacturing roles more fulfilling and engaging. Many jobs on the production line can feel monotonous, leaving little room for creativity. My vision is to integrate elements of craftsmanship and innovation into these roles, giving engineers a sense of pride and ownership in their work,” he said. “Drawing from my experience in research and development environments, I aim to design workflows that combine efficiency with opportunities for creativity, fostering a more meaningful and dynamic workplace for engineers.” 

Culture shift 

For both current and prospective employees, workplace culture is an important consideration, workforce advocates say. 

“Talent isn’t necessarily a commodity anymore. You can’t necessarily replace people the same way you could before. ... You have to deal with the human side,” Richards said. 

Often, that’s where companies fail. 

Danica Rome is the VP of Kansas Manufacturing Solutions (KMS), which, as a member of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), provides consulting services to manufacturers in her state. Her agency’s offerings have included a program called “Evolving Company Culture,” which she said is “looking at the workforce and the benefits that are offered to a workforce in a completely different way than manufacturing has in the past.” 

She observed that many companies claim their workplace is like a family, but that’s not actually reflected in how people are treated. 

But maybe it should be. 

“It’s also looking beyond just health-care benefits as the benefit that you provide — that’s a necessity, anyway; that’s not a benefit, that’s not a perk. And, so, what we really focus on is, how do you evolve? How do you recognize and provide a supportive and inclusive environment where people want to come to work?”  

When it comes to their hiring and retention policies, Rome said employers increasingly are looking at issues other than pay and benefits. 

“They’re just paying more attention to what used to be considered maybe social services within their company, recognizing that the things that are actually important to their workforce isn’t just a paycheck. It’s child care, it’s transportation, it’s all of these things,” she said. 

MEP providers across the country offer a variety of free and state-supported services, and also can provide referrals to other support that can help manufacturers with issues such as the labor shortage.  

While people once worried leaving a company too soon might compromise their career, a labor shortage and tight competition for technically proficient workers means they’re free to walk, Richards said.  

“Somebody doesn’t feel like they’re going to go in and work at a place and [they’re] necessarily going to start and end their career in a place. That’s not a thing,” Richards said. "Before it would be like, ‘If you don’t work somewhere for three years before you move on from a job, it looks bad upon you. ... [Now] that kind of mentality doesn’t exist. They can go work for somebody for three months, and if they don’t like the environment, the culture, they have absolutely no qualms with going somewhere else.” 

That means they don’t have to put up with hazing from older workers, or take lesser assignments simply because they’re young.  

Richards said the mentality of making younger workers pay their dues won’t cut it anymore.  

“They won’t even leave because of the salary. They’ll leave because of the work environment,” he said.  

Reasons to stay 

Flexibility and career growth are two important factors for workers, according to Rome and other workforce experts. 

Companies should take a look at the competition to see what else is in workers’ sights, recommended Manpower’s Stanton. 

“Examine the offerings of the competitors in your market and think about what would really ‘wow’ your new (and current) workers,” she wrote in an email. “Conduct a survey of your current workforce to learn more about what perks would drive them to extend their stay in your organization. A general rule of thumb we note across the board is workers’ love of flexibility.”  

In an effort to offer “a culture that’s as close to a traditional IT company as possible,” manufacturers increasingly are extending flexibility to people in particular career paths, like data analytics, Rome said.  

She said workers also need to see pathways toward advancement. 

The bottom line 

Landing and keeping the best workers will require an all-of-the-above approach, experts say.
For workers interested in technology, being in a company that’s staying on the cutting edge is itself a perk, according to Paul Farnsworth, CEO of Dice, an online platform for tech jobs.

“Tech professionals often gravitate toward ‘big tech’ companies, which have gained attention in recent years for their volatility, including widespread layoffs. However, many may be overlooking the stability and growth opportunities the manufacturing industry offers. According to our 2025 Tech Salary Report, manufacturing has emerged as a standout sector for tech compensation growth, with a remarkable 15.1 percent year-over-year increase.

“To attract tech talent, manufacturing companies should emphasize this competitive compensation growth alongside the unique advantages of the industry, such as opportunities to work on cutting-edge technologies like IoT, AI and automation. Highlighting the tangible impact tech professionals can have in driving innovation and efficiency in manufacturing — and framing these roles as critical to shaping the future of modern industry — can make these positions more appealing.”

Also, Farnsworth said companies need to offer advancement opportunities and a collaborative and innovative culture, and embrace sustainability and digital initiatives.

But, as Richards warned, all that carries a price.

“There is an entrenched view on what salaries and positions look like within an industry, and I’d say that’s going to be a wake-up call to many. As they start to try to stay within some classic salary ranges, they’re going to be very challenged to keep retaining talent,” he said. “Because, yes, IT, there is an element of technology here that also comes with a different salary point than what some manufacturers may be used to. And, so, salary scales do go up for this type of talent because of, essentially, a reasonable amount of competition with tech companies,” he said.