Workers who lack the technical ability to understand and operate computers will be excluded from the manufacturing work force of the near future, according to a report by the Brookings Institution.
Of the 20 occupations projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to grow the most quickly through 2018, 13 will require some postsecondary education. The occupations projected to decline most rapidly are those that don’t require more than a high school diploma, Brookings said.
“A simple tufting machine that we had 40 years ago, basically you could lay a brick on the switch, and it could run itself,” said Joe Yarbrough, executive vice president for operations at Mohawk Industries. “Today these machines are equipped with electronic controls.”
Just under half of all jobs today require more than a high school diploma, and the demand for applicants with an associate degree will grow faster than any other category, Brookings found.
High unemployment means that if one job applicant can’t already do the job, a company will simply hire someone who can rather than spend more money on training.