Industry, a source of jobs and promising opportunities for young people

In recent years, several phenomena have combined to trigger a real wave of reindustrialisation. The succession of health and energy crises associated with the impacts of climate change has revealed the interest of relocating certain productions to France. Suffice to say that the industry has the wind in its sails. Provided that the obstacles to recruitment are lifted while attracting young people to a sector suffering from a backward-looking image when it is resolutely turned towards the future.

The trend is now established, strongly encouraged by the public authorities. Faced with the uncertainties associated with the various crises, industrial independence is a priority.   It is a question of economic sovereignty and one of the responses to the imperative of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But to grow, companies in the industrial sector must solve their recruitment difficulties and improve their attractiveness to attract new generations.

Sweeping misconceptions about the industry

The industry is recruiting but thousands of jobs cannot find takers and investments in new equipment are blocked for lack of operators. In its file on industry ( November 2022) , Pôle emploi reports 76,000 unfilled positions, half of which for metallurgy. However, this sector, like those of electrical, electronic and computer equipment, should revise their recruitment forecasts upwards.

The difficulties in recruiting talent are partly explained by the growth in activity and a wave of retirements. They also find their source in negative assumptions about this sector, which stem from a totally outdated vision. Indeed, for several decades, young people have been subjected to the refrain “if you don't work better at school, you will end up in the factory”, with all the negative charge of this “will end up”. For their part, the educational staff know little about the factory and the industrial sector. However, in fact, the arduousness and repetitiveness of the tasks mocked in Modern times by Charlie Chaplin or evoked with realism in the novels of Émile Zola, are over.

An assumed modernity

The arrival of numerically controlled machines and other increasingly sophisticated automatons, the increased attention paid to the safety and ergonomics of workstations, have extremely significantly improved the exercise of industrial trades . Moreover, the industry has fully entered modernity with the use of the latest technologies and a capacity for innovation which contribute, for 42% of Millennials, to their growing interest in this sector as shown by the barometer IPSOS for UIMM 2018.

New professions are constantly emerging for the development of increasingly high-tech everyday objects and for integrating modelling, virtual simulation, robotics, additive manufacturing and all the advances in artificial intelligence.  

A mosaic of opportunities

At the same time, young people become aware of the omnipresence of industry in their world: food production, manufacture of mobile phones, cars, wind turbines, clothing, concrete for housing... Just as they reflect the diversity of trades in the sector: steel, aeronautics, aerospace, chemicals, health, energy, automotive, etc. There are many outlets for women (they are less than 30% today ) as well as for men, in many sectors and at very different levels, from technician to engineer, from CAP to Bac +5, with attractive salaries , on average 13% higher than in the rest of the private sector.

Promoting professions of expertise and passion

To promote professions in industry, several actions and initiatives are carried out, from the most traditional (qualifying training for example) to the most creative. The “AVENIR” events organized at Global Industrie or at SEPEM trade shows promote the discovery of modern production technologies. Job dating, conferences, walls of employment… are all opportunities to take a fresh look at jobs in the industry.

To arouse the interest of younger generations, the playful and educational aspect proves to be relevant, as shown by the Industry Champions area , a 200 m² site for testing professions with tablets, virtual reality headsets and even an escape game. In Maine-et-Loire, the UIMM has implemented a real strategy to promote careers among schoolchildren with, for example, a quiz to discover the industry or an educational and interactive course. For its part, Pôle emploi organizes Industry Week every year, with company visits, job dating, web conferences, exhibitions, etc.

Companies committed to recruiting

Companies also have an important role to play in finding new recruits. It is up to them to enhance their strengths, particularly in terms of energy strategy and carbon footprint, services offered to employees and interest, as well as the measures taken to respect the work-life balance. They must also exploit all the actions implemented by effective partners such as the UIMM, Pôle emploi as well as the operations set up by the local authorities (town halls, region, etc.). They would also have everything to gain by exploiting their immediate environment, by strengthening their notoriety in their municipality or even by organizing open days.  

For the industry to continue its growth and regain its full place in the French economy, it must therefore act today with actions to promote its professions to ensure a pool of talent that will guarantee , tomorrow, its sustainability.