GITNUXREPORT 2026

Upskilling And Reskilling In The Manufacturing Industry Statistics

Manufacturers are investing heavily in upskilling to close a widening digital skills gap.

Min-ji Park

Research Analyst focused on sustainability and consumer trends.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Statistic 1

68% of manufacturing companies reported investing in upskilling programs for digital technologies like IoT and AI in 2023

Statistic 2

45% of manufacturers allocated over $500,000 annually to reskilling initiatives focused on automation in 2022

Statistic 3

Only 32% of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms have formal upskilling partnerships with educational institutions as of 2023

Statistic 4

78% of large manufacturers increased upskilling budgets by an average of 22% from 2021 to 2023 due to labor shortages

Statistic 5

55% of manufacturers adopted online learning platforms for reskilling workers in advanced manufacturing techniques in 2024

Statistic 6

41% of European manufacturing firms invested in VR-based upskilling for assembly line workers in 2023

Statistic 7

US manufacturers spent $1.2 billion on reskilling programs for cybersecurity skills in 2022

Statistic 8

62% of automotive manufacturers committed to upskilling 50% of their workforce by 2025

Statistic 9

29% of manufacturers reported using government grants for upskilling in robotics, totaling $450 million in 2023

Statistic 10

73% of chemical manufacturers planned to double reskilling investments in sustainability skills by 2024

Statistic 11

52% of food and beverage manufacturers implemented micro-credentialing for upskilling in hygiene tech in 2023

Statistic 12

Global manufacturing upskilling spend reached $15 billion in 2023, up 18% from 2022

Statistic 13

64% of Asian manufacturers partnered with tech firms for AI reskilling programs in 2023

Statistic 14

37% of US manufacturers used apprenticeships for reskilling in additive manufacturing, enrolling 120,000 workers in 2023

Statistic 15

81% of high-tech manufacturers reported ROI of 3:1 on upskilling investments in data analytics

Statistic 16

49% of manufacturers shifted 30% of training budgets to reskilling for Industry 4.0 by 2023

Statistic 17

56% of aerospace firms invested in upskilling for composite materials handling, averaging $750k per firm

Statistic 18

44% of textile manufacturers adopted gamified learning for reskilling in smart fabrics

Statistic 19

67% of pharmaceutical manufacturers allocated funds for upskilling in biotech automation in 2024

Statistic 20

53% of electronics manufacturers reported 25% budget increase for AR/VR reskilling tools

Statistic 21

42% of manufacturers cited cost of training as primary barrier to upskilling at $10k per worker average

Statistic 22

59% faced resistance from older workers to reskilling in digital tools

Statistic 23

Lack of time for training disrupted 67% of production schedules in 2023

Statistic 24

51% reported insufficient internal expertise to deliver reskilling programs

Statistic 25

Measuring ROI challenged 73% of upskilling initiatives in manufacturing

Statistic 26

48% struggled with scalability of reskilling for shift workers

Statistic 27

Remote learning access issues affected 55% of rural manufacturing sites

Statistic 28

62% cited budget cuts post-inflation as barrier to expanding upskilling

Statistic 29

Cultural resistance delayed 39% of digital transformation reskilling efforts

Statistic 30

70% lacked integration between upskilling and career progression paths

Statistic 31

Vendor lock-in with training providers hindered 46% of programs

Statistic 32

54% reported high dropout rates of 25% in online reskilling courses

Statistic 33

Regulatory compliance training overload challenged 61% of upskilling plans

Statistic 34

57% faced talent poaching post-upskilling, increasing costs by 15%

Statistic 35

Infrastructure gaps for VR/AR training affected 50% of mid-sized firms

Statistic 36

65% struggled with customizing reskilling for diverse workforce demographics

Statistic 37

Language barriers in global manufacturing reskilling impacted 43%

Statistic 38

72% of manufacturers predict 50% of workforce needs reskilling by 2027 for Industry 5.0

Statistic 39

Upskilling investments projected to grow 28% annually through 2030 in manufacturing

Statistic 40

85% of jobs in manufacturing will require digital reskilling by 2025

Statistic 41

AI integration will demand reskilling for 60% of roles by 2026

Statistic 42

Green skills reskilling projected for 75% of workforce by 2030

Statistic 43

Robotics proficiency expected in 70% of manufacturing workers by 2028

Statistic 44

Global reskilling market for manufacturing to hit $25B by 2027

Statistic 45

90% of executives plan hybrid learning models for upskilling by 2025

Statistic 46

Quantum computing skills training to begin for 20% of high-tech manufacturers by 2026

Statistic 47

Lifelong learning platforms adoption to reach 80% by 2030

Statistic 48

55% productivity gain projected from full reskilling adoption by 2030

Statistic 49

Skills half-life in manufacturing to drop to 2.5 years by 2027

Statistic 50

68% of firms forecast needing 1M new upskilled workers in US by 2028

Statistic 51

Metaverse-based reskilling to train 40% of workforce by 2029

Statistic 52

Biotech reskilling demand to surge 60% in pharma manufacturing by 2027

Statistic 53

Autonomous vehicle production skills for 50% of auto workforce by 2026

Statistic 54

76% predict blockchain skills essential for supply chain by 2025

Statistic 55

Edge AI reskilling projected for 65% of smart factories by 2030

Statistic 56

82% of manufacturers expect government subsidies to boost upskilling 3x by 2027

Statistic 57

Personalized AI tutors to upskill 45% of workers by 2028

Statistic 58

63% of manufacturers saw 35% productivity boost from upskilled workers in automation

Statistic 59

Reskilling reduced turnover by 27% in manufacturing firms investing over $1M annually

Statistic 60

49% increase in output per worker after AI upskilling programs in 2023 pilots

Statistic 61

Upskilling in IoT led to 22% cost savings in maintenance for 71% of adopters

Statistic 62

58% of reskilled workers advanced to higher roles, improving retention by 34%

Statistic 63

Digital reskilling correlated with 31% faster production ramp-up times

Statistic 64

44% reduction in defects after quality upskilling in electronics manufacturing

Statistic 65

ROI of upskilling averaged 4.5:1 in revenue growth for robotics-trained firms

Statistic 66

67% of firms reported 25% energy efficiency gains from sustainability reskilling

Statistic 67

Workforce morale improved 39% post-upskilling, reducing absenteeism by 18%

Statistic 68

52% profit margin increase linked to data skills upskilling in supply chain

Statistic 69

Reskilling shortened hiring cycles by 45% for skilled roles in manufacturing

Statistic 70

61% safety incident reduction after human-robot interaction training

Statistic 71

Innovation rate up 33% in firms with comprehensive reskilling programs

Statistic 72

48% faster adaptability to market changes post-digital upskilling

Statistic 73

Upskilled teams achieved 29% higher customer satisfaction scores

Statistic 74

56% decrease in downtime from predictive maintenance reskilling

Statistic 75

Revenue per employee rose 21% after cybersecurity upskilling

Statistic 76

64% of upskilled workers reported higher job satisfaction, boosting loyalty

Statistic 77

71% of manufacturers identified a 40% skills gap in automation requiring immediate reskilling in 2023

Statistic 78

Demand for CNC machining skills grew 35% year-over-year in manufacturing job postings in 2023

Statistic 79

82% of manufacturers reported shortages in robotics programming skills, affecting 25% of production lines

Statistic 80

Data analytics skills gap impacted 60% of manufacturers, with only 18% of workers proficient

Statistic 81

55% of firms faced a 30% gap in cybersecurity expertise for manufacturing IoT systems in 2023

Statistic 82

Additive manufacturing skills demand surged 48% , but only 12% of workforce trained

Statistic 83

76% of executives noted predictive maintenance skills shortage delaying projects by 4 months on average

Statistic 84

Sustainability and green manufacturing skills gap affected 65% of firms, with demand up 42%

Statistic 85

AI/ML skills needed for 50% of manufacturing roles by 2025, current proficiency at 15%

Statistic 86

69% reported 28% gap in supply chain analytics skills post-pandemic

Statistic 87

Welding automation skills shortage hit 74% of metal fabricators

Statistic 88

58% of manufacturers lacked PLC programming experts, impacting 20% efficiency

Statistic 89

Digital twin technology skills gap in 62% of firms, demand projected to triple by 2026

Statistic 90

Quality assurance AI skills missing in 51% of workforce

Statistic 91

Edge computing skills gap delayed 40% of smart factory rollouts

Statistic 92

77% skills mismatch in human-robot collaboration training needs

Statistic 93

Lean six sigma digital integration skills demanded by 66%, available in 22%

Statistic 94

Battery production skills gap for EVs affected 70% of auto suppliers

1/94

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While a staggering 68% of manufacturing companies are now investing in upskilling for digital technologies like IoT and AI, a seismic transformation is sweeping the factory floor, revealing an urgent race to close a widening skills gap that threatens to leave billions in productivity on the table.

Key Takeaways

68% of manufacturing companies reported investing in upskilling programs for digital technologies like IoT and AI in 2023
45% of manufacturers allocated over $500,000 annually to reskilling initiatives focused on automation in 2022
Only 32% of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms have formal upskilling partnerships with educational institutions as of 2023
71% of manufacturers identified a 40% skills gap in automation requiring immediate reskilling in 2023
Demand for CNC machining skills grew 35% year-over-year in manufacturing job postings in 2023
82% of manufacturers reported shortages in robotics programming skills, affecting 25% of production lines
63% of manufacturers saw 35% productivity boost from upskilled workers in automation
Reskilling reduced turnover by 27% in manufacturing firms investing over $1M annually
49% increase in output per worker after AI upskilling programs in 2023 pilots
42% of manufacturers cited cost of training as primary barrier to upskilling at $10k per worker average
59% faced resistance from older workers to reskilling in digital tools
Lack of time for training disrupted 67% of production schedules in 2023
72% of manufacturers predict 50% of workforce needs reskilling by 2027 for Industry 5.0
Upskilling investments projected to grow 28% annually through 2030 in manufacturing
85% of jobs in manufacturing will require digital reskilling by 2025

Manufacturers are investing heavily in upskilling to close a widening digital skills gap.

Adoption and Investment

68% of manufacturing companies reported investing in upskilling programs for digital technologies like IoT and AI in 2023
45% of manufacturers allocated over $500,000 annually to reskilling initiatives focused on automation in 2022
Only 32% of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms have formal upskilling partnerships with educational institutions as of 2023
78% of large manufacturers increased upskilling budgets by an average of 22% from 2021 to 2023 due to labor shortages
55% of manufacturers adopted online learning platforms for reskilling workers in advanced manufacturing techniques in 2024
41% of European manufacturing firms invested in VR-based upskilling for assembly line workers in 2023
US manufacturers spent $1.2 billion on reskilling programs for cybersecurity skills in 2022
62% of automotive manufacturers committed to upskilling 50% of their workforce by 2025
29% of manufacturers reported using government grants for upskilling in robotics, totaling $450 million in 2023
73% of chemical manufacturers planned to double reskilling investments in sustainability skills by 2024
52% of food and beverage manufacturers implemented micro-credentialing for upskilling in hygiene tech in 2023
Global manufacturing upskilling spend reached $15 billion in 2023, up 18% from 2022
64% of Asian manufacturers partnered with tech firms for AI reskilling programs in 2023
37% of US manufacturers used apprenticeships for reskilling in additive manufacturing, enrolling 120,000 workers in 2023
81% of high-tech manufacturers reported ROI of 3:1 on upskilling investments in data analytics
49% of manufacturers shifted 30% of training budgets to reskilling for Industry 4.0 by 2023
56% of aerospace firms invested in upskilling for composite materials handling, averaging $750k per firm
44% of textile manufacturers adopted gamified learning for reskilling in smart fabrics
67% of pharmaceutical manufacturers allocated funds for upskilling in biotech automation in 2024
53% of electronics manufacturers reported 25% budget increase for AR/VR reskilling tools

Adoption and Investment Interpretation

While manufacturers are pouring billions into upskilling to chase the digital future, the fragmented reality reveals a stark divide where the well-funded big players are racing ahead, leaving many smaller firms struggling to formally catch up.

Challenges and Barriers

42% of manufacturers cited cost of training as primary barrier to upskilling at $10k per worker average
59% faced resistance from older workers to reskilling in digital tools
Lack of time for training disrupted 67% of production schedules in 2023
51% reported insufficient internal expertise to deliver reskilling programs
Measuring ROI challenged 73% of upskilling initiatives in manufacturing
48% struggled with scalability of reskilling for shift workers
Remote learning access issues affected 55% of rural manufacturing sites
62% cited budget cuts post-inflation as barrier to expanding upskilling
Cultural resistance delayed 39% of digital transformation reskilling efforts
70% lacked integration between upskilling and career progression paths
Vendor lock-in with training providers hindered 46% of programs
54% reported high dropout rates of 25% in online reskilling courses
Regulatory compliance training overload challenged 61% of upskilling plans
57% faced talent poaching post-upskilling, increasing costs by 15%
Infrastructure gaps for VR/AR training affected 50% of mid-sized firms
65% struggled with customizing reskilling for diverse workforce demographics
Language barriers in global manufacturing reskilling impacted 43%

Challenges and Barriers Interpretation

Despite the critical need to modernize, manufacturers are trapped in a costly cycle where the price of training, resistance to change, and logistical hurdles are effectively taxing their own evolution into the future.

Future Trends and Projections

72% of manufacturers predict 50% of workforce needs reskilling by 2027 for Industry 5.0
Upskilling investments projected to grow 28% annually through 2030 in manufacturing
85% of jobs in manufacturing will require digital reskilling by 2025
AI integration will demand reskilling for 60% of roles by 2026
Green skills reskilling projected for 75% of workforce by 2030
Robotics proficiency expected in 70% of manufacturing workers by 2028
Global reskilling market for manufacturing to hit $25B by 2027
90% of executives plan hybrid learning models for upskilling by 2025
Quantum computing skills training to begin for 20% of high-tech manufacturers by 2026
Lifelong learning platforms adoption to reach 80% by 2030
55% productivity gain projected from full reskilling adoption by 2030
Skills half-life in manufacturing to drop to 2.5 years by 2027
68% of firms forecast needing 1M new upskilled workers in US by 2028
Metaverse-based reskilling to train 40% of workforce by 2029
Biotech reskilling demand to surge 60% in pharma manufacturing by 2027
Autonomous vehicle production skills for 50% of auto workforce by 2026
76% predict blockchain skills essential for supply chain by 2025
Edge AI reskilling projected for 65% of smart factories by 2030
82% of manufacturers expect government subsidies to boost upskilling 3x by 2027
Personalized AI tutors to upskill 45% of workers by 2028

Future Trends and Projections Interpretation

The manufacturing workforce is sprinting on a treadmill of perpetual learning, where the only thing becoming obsolete faster than machinery is the idea that yesterday's skills are enough for tomorrow's factory.

Impact on Workforce and Business

63% of manufacturers saw 35% productivity boost from upskilled workers in automation
Reskilling reduced turnover by 27% in manufacturing firms investing over $1M annually
49% increase in output per worker after AI upskilling programs in 2023 pilots
Upskilling in IoT led to 22% cost savings in maintenance for 71% of adopters
58% of reskilled workers advanced to higher roles, improving retention by 34%
Digital reskilling correlated with 31% faster production ramp-up times
44% reduction in defects after quality upskilling in electronics manufacturing
ROI of upskilling averaged 4.5:1 in revenue growth for robotics-trained firms
67% of firms reported 25% energy efficiency gains from sustainability reskilling
Workforce morale improved 39% post-upskilling, reducing absenteeism by 18%
52% profit margin increase linked to data skills upskilling in supply chain
Reskilling shortened hiring cycles by 45% for skilled roles in manufacturing
61% safety incident reduction after human-robot interaction training
Innovation rate up 33% in firms with comprehensive reskilling programs
48% faster adaptability to market changes post-digital upskilling
Upskilled teams achieved 29% higher customer satisfaction scores
56% decrease in downtime from predictive maintenance reskilling
Revenue per employee rose 21% after cybersecurity upskilling
64% of upskilled workers reported higher job satisfaction, boosting loyalty

Impact on Workforce and Business Interpretation

While the robots are getting smarter, the real competitive edge is clearly still human, as the numbers shout that investing in your people isn't just good ethics—it's a brilliant, profit-multiplying strategy that makes factories safer, leaner, happier, and astonishingly more agile.

Skills Demand and Gaps

71% of manufacturers identified a 40% skills gap in automation requiring immediate reskilling in 2023
Demand for CNC machining skills grew 35% year-over-year in manufacturing job postings in 2023
82% of manufacturers reported shortages in robotics programming skills, affecting 25% of production lines
Data analytics skills gap impacted 60% of manufacturers, with only 18% of workers proficient
55% of firms faced a 30% gap in cybersecurity expertise for manufacturing IoT systems in 2023
Additive manufacturing skills demand surged 48% , but only 12% of workforce trained
76% of executives noted predictive maintenance skills shortage delaying projects by 4 months on average
Sustainability and green manufacturing skills gap affected 65% of firms, with demand up 42%
AI/ML skills needed for 50% of manufacturing roles by 2025, current proficiency at 15%
69% reported 28% gap in supply chain analytics skills post-pandemic
Welding automation skills shortage hit 74% of metal fabricators
58% of manufacturers lacked PLC programming experts, impacting 20% efficiency
Digital twin technology skills gap in 62% of firms, demand projected to triple by 2026
Quality assurance AI skills missing in 51% of workforce
Edge computing skills gap delayed 40% of smart factory rollouts
77% skills mismatch in human-robot collaboration training needs
Lean six sigma digital integration skills demanded by 66%, available in 22%
Battery production skills gap for EVs affected 70% of auto suppliers

Skills Demand and Gaps Interpretation

The statistics collectively reveal that manufacturing is racing toward a dazzling, automated future, yet is stuck in the frustrating position of building the engine while also trying to teach most of the crew how to drive.