An Industrywide Push to Attract Young, Skilled Workers

WE ALL KNOW that we have reached a critical moment in the material handling space. Our industry is growing and evolving at a remarkable speed, creating tremendous opportunities and fresh challenges. The pandemic and the shift in consumer behavior that led to the dramatic rise of e‑commerce have also given the supply chain—and material handling, in particular—a level of visibility that did not exist in the past. We need to take advantage of that, particularly when it comes to attracting talented young people to our industry.

As I sat with our board of directors and leadership team at the presentation of the 2025 MHI Annual Industry Report at ProMat in March, I was not surprised to see that “workforce and talent shortage” was one of five key trends impacting supply chains in 2025. It is also one of the key trends affecting our own industry. It appears on every survey of material handling leaders, and it has for years. We have experienced sharp demographic shifts in our workforce. We are seeing the Baby Boomer generation either retiring or preparing to retire, and the loss of their knowledge is a widespread concern.

Meanwhile, the need for new talent with sophisticated and evolving skill sets has never been so acute. As our factories, warehouses and production sites transform, the importance of employing a cutting-edge, skilled technical workforce increases, and it is not easy to find these workers. After all, we are not the only ones seeking them. We are competing with a host of other fields for talent profiles that are in great demand by employers throughout the economy.

That is why all of us need to contribute to efforts to raise the profile of the material handling and supply chain industry with young workers and build new and stronger networks with the institutions that educate and train them. Fortunately, the industry is already taking significant steps to get out and talk to students about careers in material handling, but we can do more. We need to raise our visibility as a dynamic place to work. We need to think like those on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley and strive to position our industry as a place where young people aspire to build rewarding and sustainable careers.

It starts with each business and their relationships with the high schools, trade schools and colleges in their regions. In our business, we connect with universities, technical schools and high schools in the communities where we operate. We must engage with these institutions and their students, faculty and staff on a sustained, personal level. From my own experience, connecting with educators and young people and talking to them about our industry is one of the most rewarding parts of my work. These students are bright, curious, enthusiastic and open to our message.

MHI has created extensive content for those in the industry to use when engaging with young people. I’ve used these resources when meeting with students and educators, and they’ve been invaluable in helping me share our industry in a way that captures attention and highlights the rewarding careers it offers.

There is also the opportunity to engage with the Student Day events at ProMat and MODEX, which allow exhibitor companies to speak directly to interested students on the show floor about the work they do and the pathways into rewarding careers in their companies.

Scholarships are a fantastic way to build on this personal engagement. They reward students, encourage their interest in our industry and support their continued success as they prepare for their careers. For instance, I am on the board of MHI’s Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI), an industrywide initiative to sponsor scholarships for promising college students across the country. Southworth International Group, Inc., where I serve as president and CEO, sponsors several scholarships through MHEFI.