Across the country, workers are seeing manufacturing industries drastically transform: Where jobs are located, what employment opportunities are available, which skills are needed and how workers gain those skills are all in flux.
As this transformation takes place it is imperative to consider how these changes are impacting individual workers, families, and communities across industries and regions. Workers are finding their existing skills are not compatible with new job opportunities. Sometimes, they don’t have access to training or education programs to help them develop those skills. Other times, there are opportunities to pivot and grow their skills. Stories like these are becoming more common as industries revolutionize with new technologies and adapt to cleaner energy.
These issues are especially crucial in the auto sector as it experiences a rapid transformation brought about by the adoption of electric vehicles. As auto companies, parts manufacturers and others along the auto supply chain shift to meet the new EV demands, new jobs are created and existing roles are transforming.
To understand how EV jobs are shifting, the kinds of jobs that will be in demand and the training and education that will be necessary so that employers have a pipeline of workers, here are three key themes coming from the current auto-industry landscape.
Well before the rise of EVs, auto manufacturing jobs across the country were heavily concentrated in five states — Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Alabama — which between 2010 and 2015 made up 62% to 68% of U.S. motor vehicle manufacturing employment.