Skills shortages are hampering UK manufacturing, with Make UK’s Industrial Strategy Skills Commission report, Skills for Success: The Reforms Essential to Our Economic Future, highlighting that there are currently 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies in the UK manufacturing sector. This is costing the economy £6 billion in lost output each year.
Increased early retirement and an ageing workforce are impacting on many manufacturers. As more senior staff exit a company, a void opens up in experience and expertise. And this can stunt growth, as businesses lose capabilities and capacity is reduced.
It’s more important than ever, therefore, for manufacturers to attract and develop new talent, and develop sustainable workforces.
Key to this is engaging successfully with Gen Z.
So, first things first, who are Gen Z – and what are their characteristics?
Gen Z were born between 1997 and 2012. They are in their teens and 20s… and are reaching milestones in their lives. Having grown up with social media and smartphones, they are digital-savvy. They value flexibility and work/life balance and make more values-based purchasing decisions. A collaborative workplace is also high on the agenda.
And among Gen Z, the ethics and culture of their employer (or prospective employer), is a key consideration.
Indeed, according to McKinsey, nine out of ten Gen Zers believe that companies have a responsibility to address environmental and social issues.
The Bupa Wellbeing Index even stated that 66% of people within the Gen Z demographic would accept a job on lower pay to work for a more ethical or environmentally active organisation.
What does this mean for manufacturing and engineering business?
Firstly, if you want to engage with Gen Z, take a closer look at what your company is saying about itself… and get your messaging right.
Develop recruitment messaging tailored to Gen Z – messaging that goes beyond salary and career development to also embrace your company culture and values. Your commitment to ESG needs to be communicated in language that’s direct and easy to understand – a PDF ESG policy statement won’t cut it.
It’s also crucial to get to the crux of why you do what you do: the purpose of your business. In recruitment messaging, telling candidates that you ‘offer on-time delivery’ or ‘meet and exceed customer expectations’ isn’t going to get anyone excited. Be confident about the difference you are making to your employees, customers, community and the world.
Manufacturing and engineering companies can also fall into the trap of using technical messaging and jargon across their communications. Avoid this. It’s vital to remember who your audience is and consider an appropriate approach.
What kind of content works?
Generating compelling video content is a priority when engaging with Gen Z, and this can be used across multiple channels – think behind the scenes videos, factory walk-throughs, days in the life, staff achievements, work social events etc.
Likewise, animations and interactive digital content – using gamification techniques – should also be part of your recruitment toolkit.
And it’s important to underscore your recruitment campaigns with the content that shares the experiences of employees: case studies, testimonials and blogs/vlogs should all be part of the recruitment campaign toolkit.
Don’t forget about sharing good news via the media, on your website and socials too: work on environmental and community initiatives, the achievements of apprentices, company awards, staff landmarks and fundraising milestones can all help to build a positive picture.
Where to engage with Gen Z?
Ensure that the channels you use align with your recruitment objectives and that audience type, location and experience are all considered.
And given the ‘digital savvy’ characteristics of Gen Z, a ‘digital-first’ strategy should be adopted.
This should encompass a website landing page for recruitment campaigns, incorporating messaging on company culture and values.
And social media should be a priority, with attention focused on the most popular channels for this demographic. According to The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report by Sproutsocial, which looked at which social media platforms were embraced by which demographics, Instagram (94%), TikTok (86%) and YouTube (83%) were the clear winners among Gen Z.
Not using these channels? It could be time to start.
How can you utilise social media effectively? A starting point is to shape content for each platform – what works well on one platform may not transfer effectively, or be as engaging, on another.
Using social media to convey the culture of your business – and the kind of opportunities available at your company – is an essential part of the comms mix, and builds up a positive picture of your business. In this case, it’s an opportunity for your younger members of staff to do the talking: employee-driven content, such as short videos, can be relatable, eye-catching and fun, and help to get across the exciting elements of working in manufacturing. Clearly, this also needs to be ‘on message’ and managed, but it can help your business connect with Gen Z on their terms
Advertising on social media channels such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, also offers a direct route into Gen Z’s social media feeds, and can be targeted around location and demographics.
Podcasts, too, are popular with Gen Z: 75% of Gen Z listens to podcasts weekly, according to Spotify, so you could consider guesting on, sponsoring or advertising on podcasts – or even hosting your own.
Of course, consideration must be given to long-established routes, such as online job listings.
And let’s not forget the role of careers fairs in helping manufacturing and engineering companies engage with students in secondary, further and higher education, face to face. If you’re exhibiting at a careers fair, make it count:
- Use bold, simple messaging, rather than technical jargon – and convey your company culture
- Think interactivity – games, puzzles and interactive demonstrations and challenges can all draw (and keep) attention
- Videos and animations will bring more visual impact to your stand and capture attention
- Consider memorable, more unusual merch giveaways
- Enable members of your team to share their own stories – either on video or in person
As you can see, engaging with Gen Z audiences can mean changing traditional approaches to recruitment and considering a 360 approach. But it will be crucial in building a workforce fit for the future.
Need advice on where to start a recruitment campaign, or a marketing partner to bring your business’s culture and values to life? Get in touch with our team.
Check out our work on a major advanced manufacturing sector attractiveness campaign in North East England here.
View our work for engineering training provider Seta here.