---
title: How The Great Resignation is a Great Opportunity for Manufacturers Looking to Recruit - skillsgapp
description: At time when people are re-evaluating their careers, manufacturers are in a prime position to offer prospective talent more
---

[skillionaire blog | workforce development | skillionnaire games](https://skillionairehq.com/blog)

# [How The Great Resignation is a Great Opportunity for Manufacturers Looking to Recruit - skillsgapp](https://skillionairehq.com/blog/great-resignation)

 Written by [skillsgapp](https://skillionairehq.com/blog/author/skillsgapp) | Oct 29, 2021, 4:00:00 AM

The Great Resignation. The Great Reshuffle. Whatever the phrase, COVID-19 hit the global labor force big, and few industries have been spared. In the US alone, [April saw more than four million people quit their jobs](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm), according to a summary from the Department of Labor – the biggest spike on record. The exodus is being driven by [Millennials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials) and [Generation Z](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z), says an Adobe study, who are more likely to be dissatisfied with their work. In fact, more than [half of Gen Z](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Resignation) reported planning to seek a new job within the next year.

Why? Because the last eighteen months have allowed everybody to rethink their careers, work conditions, and long-term goals. The top of the list? According to Jessica Schaeffer, vice president of LaSalle Network, a staffing and recruiting firm, [more money, better benefits, and flexibility](https://www.fastcompany.com/90654925/these-industries-are-being-impacted-most-by-the-great-resignation)[.](https://www.fastcompany.com/90654925/these-industries-are-being-impacted-most-by-the-great-resignation)

Ray Everett, CEO of Reward Solutions, adds that the [l](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-resignation-ray-everett/)[ack of a clear path](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-resignation-ray-everett/) in employees’ career progression is one of the most common complaints he hears. The manufacturing sector can win big with Gen Z here, as a key complement to their employee value proposition is a huge trajectory for growth. 

**Good News for Manufacturers Hiring Gen Z**

• **More Money:** The average hourly wage within manufacturing is a few pennies shy of [$30,](https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/adp-research-institute/research-topics/-/media/62FB03253C3B4B80A2EE73EB8EC29B82.ashx) with project managers averaging [$47 per hour](https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/adp-research-institute/research-topics/-/media/62FB03253C3B4B80A2EE73EB8EC29B82.ashx), or between [$92,500 per year](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2019/10/22/should-your-child-consider-a-career-in-a-trade/?sh=6ebab0f97240) and almost $98,000 per year.

• **Better Benefits:** Many manufacturers, like auto innovator [Tesla](https://employeebenefit.info/tesla-employee-benefits/), provide health insurance, life insurance and disability protection, vision and dental coverage, a retirement plan, a stock purchase plan, short-term disability pay, long-term disability pay, and general employee assistance programs.

• **Flexibility:** Contrary to the decades-long, [“dirty hands” stigma](https://skillsgapp.com/breaking-stigma/), employees come first in today’s manufacturing. For instance, corporations like West Virginia’s Lockheed Martin offer [education assistance, paid time off](https://www.lockheedmartinjobs.com/working-here?_ga=2.71290962.371809003.1634852685-726779911.1634852685), and even smoking cessation and wellness programs.

• **Trajectory for Growth:** A[national workforce report](https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/adp-research-institute/research-topics/-/media/62FB03253C3B4B80A2EE73EB8EC29B82.ashx)has shown that “firms are more likely to promote internal employees for management positions. Overall, firms promoted 8.9 percent of employees.” [The Chief Scientific Officer at Nephron says](https://www.nephronpharm.com/careers)that her company’s culture “values hard work and career advancement. … \[It’s\] a place to start, develop, and succeed in your career.”

**Reaching Gen Z**

Reaching Gen Z – half of whom are looking to make a career move is priority #1 for American manufacturers today in order to close the skills gap projected to reach [2.4 million unfilled jobs through 2028.](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/manufacturing/articles/future-of-manufacturing-skills-gap-study.html) 

The [National Association of Manufacturers](https://www.nam.org) recently took their recruitment show on the road as part of their [Creators Wanted](https://creatorswanted.org) initiative, during which kids were visited in key locations to hear – and experience – firsthand the behind-the-scenes innovation and opportunity behind some of the cars they drive, pharmaceuticals they use, and the everyday products that make our world go around. 

Now imagine being able to [scale this](https://skillsgapp.com) effort by meeting kids wherever they are, on their phones, at any time of day. According to [techjury:](https://techjury.net/blog/how-much-time-does-the-average-american-spend-on-their-phone/#:~:text=The%20average%20mobile%20phone%20user%20checks%20their%20phone,as%20much%20as%2086%20times%20in%20a%20day)

• There are 3.5 billion smartphone users in the world today

• Americans spend an average of 5.4 hours on their phone a day

• American teens spend an average of 9 hours a day in front of screens, and more than 7 of those are spent on mobile phones.

• Career awareness and pathways can [now be gamified](https://skillsgapp.com/games/), per region, per industry with trackable data not only for industry to recruit from but for states to secure their competitive advantage.

*How are you rethinking and innovating your workforce recruiting to reach Gen Z?* Share your ideas below with us.

[View full post](https://skillionairehq.com/blog/great-resignation)

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