Skills in demand within the industry are diverse, with in-demand industry-specific skills ranging from business solutions to heavy equipment operation.
Industry-specific skill demand
The most in-demand skills are business solutions, supply chain management and heavy equipment operation. Communication, initiative and leadership, and personal attributes (e.g. right attitude/mindset) are also important, with over 80 per cent of job advertisements within the industry mentioning one or more of these skills.
Most mentioned industry-specific skills in 2024 as a share of job advertisements
Industry-specific skill | Share of job ads |
|---|---|
Business solutions | 12.0% |
Supply chain management | 10.1% |
Heavy equipment operation | 8.0% |
Machinery | 7.5% |
Sales management | 6.8% |
Manufacturing processes | 6.4% |
General shipping and | 5.7% |
Pharmacy | 5.2% |
Manufacturing standards | 5.1% |
Product development | 5.0% |
Growing skills mentions within the industry
Skills increasingly being mentioned in job advertisements within the manufacturing industry are inventory and warehousing, merchandising and process improvement and optimisation.
Note: these exclude industry-specific skills already identified as being in high demand
Growing skills as a percentage point difference in job advertisement mentions from 2019 to 2024
Industry-specific skill | Percentage of job ad mentions in 2019 | Percentage of job ad mentions in 2024 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Inventory and warehousing | 5.1% | 16.8% | 11.7% |
Merchandising | 2.5% | 10.0% | 7.6% |
Process improvement and optimisation | 9.8% | 16.3% | 6.5% |
Occupational health and safety | 4.7% | 9.0% | 4.3% |
Plant operations and management | 4.0% | 7.4% | 3.4% |
Cash management | 0.5% | 3.7% | 3.2% |
Welding, brazing and soldering | 0.6% | 3.4% | 2.8% |
Cash register operation | 0.7% | 3.3% | 2.6% |
Food and beverage | 4.4% | 6.9% | 2.6% |
Customer relationship management (CRM) | 6.2% | 8.8% | 2.5% |
Updated