Issue link: https://resource.opensesame.com/i/1462699
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | www.opensesame.com | (503) 808-1286 | 3 Perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today apart from the COVID-19 pandemic is an increasingly tight labor market and the struggle to bring new talent into the field. Further restraining this situation are the cultural traditions associated with the sector, namely that it is an industry dominated and shielded by white males. The US Department of Labor reported that over 71% of workers in manufacturing are male (nearly 80% white); 29% are women; and the remaining roughly 30% are comprised of Hispanic/Latino (16%), Black (10%), and Asian (7%) ethnicities. 1 But conditions are changing. According to the US Census, immigration is projected to overtake natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) as the primary driver of population growth for the country in the year 2030. By the year 2045, the US white population is predicted to have minority status at less than 50% and 36% by 2060. 2 It is important to recognize the reality that no single group is going to represent a majority of the country's population in years to come. We are a nation of immigrants (around one in seven of or 44 million were born in another country), and most Americans have immigrants in their family tree. 3 For an industry dependent upon one homogenous segment of the population to fill its ranks, it serves as a rallying cry for wholesale change. To broaden its reach to non-white and non-male identifying populations, leaders need to change their perceptions and challenge their own unconscious bias in defining roles traditionally held by uniform groups. Current Manufacturing State and Challenges 1 " Women in the labor force: a databook." Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, November 2017. Jonathan Vespa, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong. 2 " The US will become 'minority white' in 2045, Census projects." William H. Frey. March 2018. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2018/03/14/ the-us-will-become-minority-white-in-2045-census-projects/ 3 " Demographic Turning Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 2060." Jonathan Vespa, Lauren Medina, and David M. Armstrong. Revised February 2020. Workers in manufacturing 71% Identify as male 29% Identify as female