Manufacturers spent $32B
- A Manufacturing Institute survey found manufacturers spent about $32 billion on worker training. - The survey reports firms now dedicate nearly five more training hours per employee than in 2019. - The figures indicate companies are still investing heavily in human capital where automation hasn't removed skill scarcity. (manufacturingdive.com)
U.S. manufacturers are now spending an estimated $31.9 billion a year to train workers, according to a new Manufacturing Institute survey released April 15. (nam.org) The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce nonprofit tied to the National Association of Manufacturers, surveyed human resources and operations leaders from Jan. 22 to Feb. 6, 2026, as an update to its first training survey in 2019. The new estimate is up from $26.2 billion in 2019, a roughly 22% increase. (themanufacturinginstitute.org) (finance.yahoo.com) New manufacturing hires now get an estimated 47.6 hours of internal and external training on average, while existing employees get 26.7 hours. Manufacturing Dive reported that training time for existing employees rose from 42.9 hours in 2019 to 47.6 hours in the updated survey, an increase of nearly five hours. (nam.org) (finance.yahoo.com) The spending comes as manufacturers keep treating labor as a constraint on growth, even after factories added capacity and investment surged after the pandemic. Deloitte said U.S. manufacturing construction spending reached a record $225 billion in January 2024, and nearly 300 clean technology, semiconductor and electronics facilities had been announced for completion by 2031. (deloitte.com) That expansion has collided with a hiring gap. Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute said in April 2024 that manufacturers could need as many as 3.8 million additional workers between 2024 and 2033, and 1.9 million of those jobs could go unfilled if skills and applicant gaps persist. (themanufacturinginstitute.org) (deloitte.com) The April 2026 survey also found that 77.5% of respondents offer employer-led training, showing companies are still building skills inside their own plants instead of relying only on outside schools or hiring already-trained workers. Carolyn Lee, president of the Manufacturing Institute, said manufacturers are using apprenticeships, on-the-job training and online certificate programs. (nam.org) Lee told Manufacturing Dive that the group wanted fresh data after the COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptions changed labor markets and factory operations. She also said companies are putting more money into technology training, including virtual reality and augmented reality programs used for safety practice and equipment training. (finance.yahoo.com) Manufacturers have been making the same argument for years: some factory jobs can be automated, but many specialized tasks still require workers who know a company’s machines, processes and quality standards. The new survey suggests employers are still paying to build those skills themselves. (finance.yahoo.com)
