[October 04, 2018] |
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Kronos Survey Finds Many Parents Undervalue Manufacturing as a Career for Their Children, but Remain Openminded
According to a national survey commissioned by Kronos
Incorporated, while 58 percent of parents1 want their
child to be knowledgeable about science, technology, engineering, and
math (STEM) subjects and 43 percent agree STEM-focused careers have a
promising future, only 20 percent of parents associate STEM education
with the manufacturing industry. To inspire and recruit the next
generation of modern manufacturers, these findings suggest Manufacturing
Day (Oct. 5) and similar efforts to prioritize STEM education and raise
the profile of the manufacturing industry are more important than ever.
The Kronos (News - Alert) 2018 Manufacturing Day Survey conducted online by The Harris
Poll in September 2018 surveyed 1,004 U.S. parents of children under 18
to explore their perceptions of the manufacturing industry as well as
priorities regarding their child's future career path. The survey
revealed a general lack of knowledge about the manufacturing industry,
with many parents (40 percent) stating that they do not have any
experience with the manufacturing industry, and three out of four (76
percent) admitting they were unaware that the manufacturing industry is
facing a workforce shortage. However, once presented with facts about
the industry's surging growth, strong economic outlook, and wide
availability of high paying jobs,2 more than two-thirds (67
percent) of parents said they would encourage their child to learn more
about career opportunities in manufacturing, and nearly half (47
percent) would even consider a career in manufacturing for themselves if
they could start over.
Survey News Facts
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Parents' perceptions about the manufacturing industry make it less
likely they would encourage their child to pursue a career in that
field.
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Compared to the majority of parents who would be likely to
encourage their child to consider a career in a technology (88
percent) or engineering (82 percent) field, only 49 percent would
be likely to encourage their child to consider a career in
manufacturing.
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The majority of parents anticipate their child will pursue higher
education (84 percent), and nearly one-quarter of parents (22
percent) believe that a career in manufacturing requires only
basic skills/training (i.e. no college degree).
-
About half of parents associate manual work (59 percent) and
hourly work (50 percent) with manufacturing, while many associate
long hours/overtime (45 percent), unskilled labor (32 percent),
and unfavorable working conditions (30 percent).
-
For the most part, parents were less likely to associate these
attributes with the manufacturing industry: an engineering degree
(29 percent), modern workplace technology (25 percent), artificial
intelligence/machine learning (24 percent), or salaried work (21
percent).
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A mere 20 percent of parents associate desirable pay with a career
in manufacturing, while research shows manufacturing workers
actually earn 13 percent more than comparable workers in other
industries.3
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A career in manufacturing would give parents exactly what they want
for their child's career - even if they don't know it.
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About half of parents would encourage their child to pursue a
career path that offers opportunities for growth or advancement
(56 percent) and would encourage them to consider the future
industry outlook (52 percent).
-
Additionally, parents would encourage their child to consider the
average salary/pay (45 percent) and the number of open job
opportunities (38 percent) in a given industry - both of which
spiked in manufacturing in 2018.4
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Two out of five parents think STEM education should be a top
priority for their child (44 percent) and agree that STEM skills
are vital to succeed in any industry (41 percent). However, only
20 percent of parents associate STEM education specifically with
the manufacturing industry.
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Awareness makes a difference: Parents' perceptions of the
manufacturing industry have shifted over time.
-
When in high school, few parents perceived the industry to have
well-paying jobs (18 percent) or a lot of available
jobs/opportunities (18 percent). Now as adults with children of
their own, 31 percent of parents perceive the manufacturing
industry to have well-paying jobs, and 28 percent perceive there
to be a lot of available jobs/opportunities.
-
Additionally, in contrast to their teenage perspectives, today,
more parents consider manufacturing to be a "modern industry with
a strong focus on technology" (28 percent; up from 12 percent
during their high school years) and "a fast-growing industry" (26
percent, up from 14 percent).
-
62 percent of parents who have/had student loans admitted to
feeling like they could have paid off their student loan debt
faster if they had chosen a different career, and 31 percent of
employe parents shared disappointment with their current career
path.
Supporting Quote
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Kylene Zenk, director, manufacturing practice, Kronos
"This
is an exciting time of digital transformation for many manufacturers
and the industry is bursting with opportunity for new and inspired
talent. However, nearly half a million manufacturing jobs today are
unfilled, and a growing talent shortage suggests manufacturers may
have a hard time attracting next-generation employees to fill these
positions. It's hard for those of us who work in or alongside the
industry to believe that public perception continues to fall short.
The nation's rising focus on STEM studies - which are highly relevant
to manufacturing careers - is a promising start, though initiatives
like Manufacturing Day will be the key to changing perceptions of the
industry and promoting the fantastic STEM-related careers and
opportunities it offers. As a passionate advocate working to inspire
and educate the next-generation, multi-dimensional workforce, Kronos
is committed to helping close the manufacturing skills gap by
supporting like-minded organizations and events that are raising the
profile of the industry."
Supporting Resources
About Kronos Incorporated Kronos is a leading provider of
workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions.
Kronos industry-centric workforce applications are purpose-built for
businesses, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and
government agencies of all sizes. Tens of thousands of organizations -
including half of the Fortune 1000® - and more than 40
million people in over 100 countries use Kronos every day. Visit www.kronos.com.
Kronos: Workforce Innovation That Works.
Footnote 1: This survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll which
surveyed 1,004 U.S. parents of children under 18. All references made to
"parents" implies parents of children under 18. Footnote 2:
In the second-to-last question of the survey, respondents were given the
following information and then asked to agree or disagree with a series
of statements: The U.S. manufacturing industry is stable and growing,
and manufacturing in America continues to be a pillar of the economy.
According to the U.S. Bureau
of Economic Analysis, in 2018, manufacturing accounted for
11.7 percent of gross domestic product in the economy. However,
manufacturing faces an industry workforce crisis. There are nearly half
a million manufacturing jobs unfilled today, and millions more are
projected to go unfilled in the years to come. In a nut shell,
manufacturing in the U.S. is holding steady and is an industry with
plenty of future opportunities for those willing to take them. Footnote
3: According to the Economic
Policy Institute, manufacturing workers earn 13.0 percent
more in hourly compensation (wages and benefits) than comparable workers
earn in the rest of the private sector. Footnote 4:
According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, wages in Manufacturing in the
U.S. averaged 9.26 USD/Hour from 1950 until 2018, reaching an all-time
high of 21.53 USD/Hour in April of 2018. And over the past year through
July 2018, U.S. Manufacturing
added 327,000 jobs, the most of any 12-month period since
1995.
Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online
within the U.S. by The Harris Poll on behalf of Kronos from Sept. 17-24,
2018 among 1,004 U.S. parents of children under 18. This online survey
is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of
theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey
methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes,
please contact Tonya Eckert at [email protected].
© 2018 Kronos Incorporated. All rights reserved. Kronos and the Kronos
logo are registered trademarks and Workforce Innovation That Works is a
trademark of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. See a complete
list of Kronos
trademarks. All other trademarks, if any, are property of their
respective owners.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181004005052/en/
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