Recruiting, Retaining and Inspiring Gen-Z for a Rewarding Career in Manufacturing

The manufacturing landscape across Australia & New Zealand is undergoing a transformation. Traditional labour pools are aging, skills shortages are intensifying, and operations are evolving fast. At the same time, a new generation: Generation Z (born 1997-2012) is entering the workforce, bringing digital fluency, social values, and different expectations toward work.  

For manufacturing to stay competitive, firms must rethink how they recruit and engage this generation not simply as temporary labour, but as long-term contributors capable of shaping the plant floor of 2030 and beyond. 

What Gen-Z Wants (And What Traditional Manufacturing Often Misses) 

Gen-Z isn’t the same as previous generations when entering blue-collar or technical roles. Their priorities often include:  

  • Technology & innovation: Many Gen-Z workers want to work with modern tools, automation, smart systems, or digital workflows. Manufacturing that feels “old-school” can seem unattractive.  
  • Career growth & purpose: More than a “job,” they look for a career path, with clear progression, training opportunities, and meaning.  
  • Values, flexibility & work-life balance: Gen-Z tends to value workplaces with fair treatment, inclusive culture, opportunities to learn, and respect for wellbeing.  

But many manufacturing workplaces still follow older norms: repetitive manual tasks, limited visibility on development paths, and rigid shift structures. This misalignment explains why young workers have been reluctant, challenging the traditional assumption that manufacturing naturally attracts younger workers.  

How Employers Can Reposition Their Manufacturing Roles for Gen-Z Talent 

If you lead or manage a manufacturing site, from small workshops to large plants, here are effective ways to attract, retain, and inspire Gen-Z: turning generational challenge into a strategic advantage. 

  1. Rebrand Your Industry: Promote Innovation, Not Just Production
  • Emphasise automation, digitisation, use of robotics, smart manufacturing tools, show that your workplace is forward-looking and tech enabled. Many Gen-Z respondents said they would be more likely to apply if they understood that career paths and modern technology use were real.  
  • Highlight the impact of manufacturing: product quality, sustainability, community supply chains, innovation. Create narratives that give work purpose and pride. 
  1. Build Clear Career Pathways & Continuous Learning
  • Offer structured training, mentoring, and upskilling, not just entry-level labour. Gen-Z values learning opportunities and progression.  
  • Create multi-level roles: apprentices → operators → technicians → team leads. Visibility of growth can significantly improve retention. 
  1. Create a Culture That Matches Their Values
  • Emphasise inclusivity, respect, work-life balance, transparency. Younger workers in 2025 expect workplaces to uphold values as much as wages.  
  • Make safety, fairness, and modern working conditions (e.g. updated PPE or ergonomic practices) real priorities, these matters to Gen-Z more than “just a job.” 
  1. Blend Stability with Flexibility
  • Manufacturing often offers predictable work, but you can add flexibility where possible: shift-swapping, part-time/shift scheduling, cross-training. 
  • Offer varied tasks and rotations so work stays engaging, avoids monotony, a common turn-off for younger workers. 
  1. Engage, Recognise, and Retain
  • Build a feedback culture; check in regularly. Younger workers want to be heard and value belonging. 
  • Recognise achievements, offer certifications, or internal promotions to keep morale high and turnover low. 

What This Means for Employers (and Why It Matters Now) 

Employment in manufacturing across Australia has been shrinking recent data shows a drop of 31,300 jobs (–3.5%) over the last 12 months. 
That decline, combined with an aging workforce and increasing retirements, means a critical skills gap is emerging. If employers don’t adapt, factories risk losing capacity, expertise, and competitiveness and they may struggle to fill roles at all. 

But those who act now rethinking culture, roles, messaging have a huge opportunity. Hiring and grooming Gen-Z workers not only fills gaps but builds a younger, more dynamic, and future-ready workforce. 

As Gen-Z becomes a larger share of the workforce (projected to rise to ~33% by 2030 in Australia) manufacturing businesses that align with their expectations can secure long-term stability, innovation and operational strength.