Anticipating the future manufacturing workforce: Key insights from leading international organisations

Researchers and policy analysts from leading international organisations and from the Institute for Manufacturing came together to share perspectives and research for understanding the future manufacturing workforce, in particular to identify opportunities to improve policy evidence-gathering, policy analysis and policy making.

The roundtable brought together an invited group of representatives from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as well as the UK government. This year’s roundtable focused on the topic of “Anticipating the future manufacturing workforce”, with discussion around the many challenges and opportunities for the future workforce driven by the changing nature of production. In particular, this group of researchers and analysts explored ways to better conceptualise future manufacturing systems and skills; and the implications for future workforce capabilities.