Glenn Farris, Vice President, Global Customer Operations and Corporate Marketing, Universal Instruments

Even with much hyped layoffs by Big Tech in 2023, the hunt for skilled workers is a global challenge. But I dispute the notion that today's youth automatically reject careers in manufacturing.

Indeed, I believe a wave of younger generation engineers and operators is entering electronics design and manufacturing, but this rebirth is hidden because 1) the number of jobs (at least in the West) is way below the 2000 peak and 2) those newbies aren’t, in general, representing their companies at industry events.

Time was, companies sent scads of employees to trade shows. They did so for a multitude of reasons: to get their eyes on the latest technology; to network; and sometimes just to reward them for the work they did (or would have to do).

And they did so to prepare them to become the next group of leaders. It was a low-cost way to expose valued staff to the world outside the factory.

At PCEA events like PCB West and PCB East, one of the aspects that stands out is how excited engineers are to be there. In surveys, they repeatedly bring up the desire to meet others in their chosen disciplines, to the degree that we’ve been asked to reduce the number of classes so attendees have more time to pick each other's brains.

Offering newer employees the chance to get out into the industry is a huge plus in talent acquisition. Companies must consider upping their engagement with the industry so that their best employees act as a recruiting and sales tool for their business.