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In 2025, the U.S. labor market is undergoing a significant demographic shift. Approximately 4.18 million Americans reach retirement age this year (about 11,400 turn 65 each day). The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the labor force will grow at a modest 0.4% annually from 2023 to 2033, reaching 173.3 million by 2033.\u00a0The problem: we’ll need to fill 192 million job openings, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n America’s workforce is aging, and that’s a challenge for manufacturing and warehousing operations. They suffer the double-whammy of aging, skilled workers entering retirement and a much smaller replacement generation that’s far less interested in manufacturing careers. At the same time, America’s industrial sector is on the grow and lacks over 600,000 workers today.<\/p>\n This FFVA article<\/a> discusses the challenges posed by an aging workforce in warehouse settings and offers strategies to adapt workplaces to meet the needs of older employees, ensuring safety and productivity.<\/p>\n Overall, 22% of American labor is at least 65 years old<\/a> – Lending Tree Analysis<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I\u2019ve covered the looming shortfalls in manufacturing labor extensively in this space because we see this constantly as an issue for our customers. In fact, that’s what customers stressed to us in Cisco-Eagle’s 2025 Warehousing Survey<\/a>.\u00a0 33.76% of our respondents said that their top issue was \u201clabor: shortages, quality, or other issues.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In manufacturing, millions of jobs could go unfilled over the next decade, but that’s too simple. It\u2019s not just about finding people; it\u2019s about finding people with the right skills<\/em>, especially for roles like equipment technicians. This article breaks down why manufacturers are struggling to hire, how outdated perceptions of factory work play into it, and what programs like FAME are doing to turn things around.<\/p>\nFFVA Mutual: Sustainable Workforce in an Aging Society<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"factory](\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/manufacturing_worker_202702948.jpg\")
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\nNPR: Why can’t manufacturers fill their jobs?\u00a0<\/a><\/h3>\n
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