For much of American history, industrial work was a symbol of pride, skill, and contribution to a larger cause. During WW2, the nation rallied around manufacturing, with factories & policy humming to produce weapons, ships, aircraft, and critical infrastructure. Workers were seen as heroes, vital to national security and economic strength. Working at the local GM plant for 30 years to build a career and support a family was commonplace and celebrated.
Then, rather than lean into the industrial economy, America invested in decades of offshoring production. This left a massive skill gap in the labor force and “blue-collar work” was no longer seen as aspirational. Now in 2024, the US doesn’t meet production needs domestically. Re-shoring manufacturing has become a common topic, but becomes a moot point without a strong labor pool and broader societal commitment to our industrial base. While there are still plenty of hardworking people I talk to everyday building great careers, I’ve also seen a growing trend of workers simply picking up blue collar roles while looking for a “better job”.
So, how do we actually reverse this trend and create the worker supply that will enable America to once again be the leading nation for manufacturing?
Change the Narrative: It may never be “highest status”, but we need to reposition industrial work as the high-impact, essential, and full of opportunity career path it is. Just like massive tech company outcomes and value creation made software popular, we need to rebrand the atoms world as a modern, tech-enabled path that offers growth, stability, and high income. More companies innovating and being created in the industrial space will create this dynamic. Restoring American manufacturing is a mission people can get behind.
Build Careers, Not Just Jobs: When hiring, it’s not enough to fill roles — you have to develop a worker’s technical skills and career. Sure, you need to get the right people in the door, but the faster a shop can train and develop new employees, the wider their talent pool becomes. Efficient training and skill development is essential for the survival of U.S. manufacturing. Successful companies need to bring in reliable, unskilled talent, and train them into skilled workers. Businesses struggle to fill positions because they fail to get people excited about their mission and building careers at their company.
Invest in People & Workplace: The simple fact is if you want to retain workers in the industrial space, you need to pay more. Find opportunities to align incentives, increase output, and reduce operational burden per employee, and you’re unlocking opportunities to increase pay. The most impactful “automation” in today’s warehouses & factories does not fully replace humans, but enables them be more productive and their role less repetitive / intensive. Lo and behold - this enables a company to pay more per worker and keep people happier.
Re-shoring American manufacturing is not just about factories or warehouses — it’s really about people (and policy, but that’s for later) If we want to restore the American industrial workforce, we must restore the dignity, skill, and opportunity that once defined it. It’s time to get the American workforce excited about building here again.
We’re working on this at Traba btw
