ManpowerGroup: Challenges of the industrial sector in 2024 include shortening the supply chain
Shortening the supply chain, implementing ESG strategy, the evolution of the organization in connection with the development of new technologies, the need to employ people with completely new skills and potential improvement in the image of the industry are the five most important global trends for the industrial industry for 2024, according to the report ManpowerGroup "Industrials World of Work".
One of the most important challenges facing the industrial sector is the area related to ESG’s activities. Competition for the best green talent is also on the rise, with 74% of employers in the industrial sector around the world already recruiting candidates with 'green skills' or plans to start them, it was reported.
According to the labour market expert and the director of strategic clients at ManpowerGroup Piotr Skierkowski, ESG becomes the foundation of the strategy of many organizations.
For this reason, the popularity of green jobs is growing, i.e. positions where the competences of workplace management (including OHS) and the impact of the company’s activities on the natural environment are crucial. Since the business focus on ecology is a relatively new phenomenon, in particular in industry, there are currently not enough candidates with knowledge and relevant skills on the market. Poland, compared to the countries of Western Europe or Scandinavia, is at the beginning of the road of green jobs. Therefore, we must make the most effective use of this time to prepare an appropriate pool of talents that can meet the upcoming increase in the demand for 'green competence, according to the report.
In response to geopolitical challenges, the shortening of supply chains is gaining momentum. 70% of the manufacturers located in the USA and Europe operate to move their companies and suppliers closer to the main factory. Many of them also plan activities in the area of recycling, reuse of materials and products. This will increase competition for talents qualified in such areas as well as new investments.
“Events such as the pandemic and the current geopolitical situation in many regions of the world are forcing industrial companies to remodel their supply chains. This is mainly shortening them in order to avoid disruptions in the availability of products during any perturbations. Poland is a very attractive market for investors by providing access to qualified staff and quite good infrastructure that is constantly developing. Not without significance is also our geographical location and still cost attractiveness compared to Western Europe or the United States. Many large, international industrial companies have been operating in Poland for years, and this is an additional magnet for further new investments," Skierkowski pointed out.
The global uppression of accelerating robotics deployment, including collaborators, that works closely with entire teams, is getting stronger. Especially for dangerous tasks or require a lot of physical effort. 62% of industry managers say robotics and automation will be their top investment priority to increase operational efficiency over the next 12 months. 59% of employers in the industrial sector also believe that the development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and virtual reality (VR) will have a positive impact on employment issues.
More and more manufacturing companies are implementing innovations involving the use of new technologies to support employees, but also in some cases replacing them. Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) or virtual reality (VR) are implemented in various processes, improving their effectiveness. AI and ML often help, among other things, to create uncomplicated content, such as action or service instructions, which after quick verification by a specialist can be implemented immediately. VR can significantly improve the testing and onboarding of new employees, as well as enable work on some practical task of the team scattered in different locations. One example is the 'virtual welding', which effectively checks the candidate's qualifications without having to visit the factory. Certainly, the changes resulting from the implementation of innovative solutions are associated with the need to demonstrate the flexibility of employees to acquire new competences. It is also a great opportunity to create previously unknown jobs related to, for example, the testing of solutions 'induced' by AI and ML, concluded ManpowerGroup.
Source: ManpowerGroup and ISBnews
