Ghost jobs are wreaking havoc on the talent pool. Open opportunities are turning out to be as fictional as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, leaving job seekers wandering in the darkness. It’s a frightening idea, with a recent ResumeBuilder study showing that three in 10 job listings posted online don’t exist, or the company has no intention of filling them. In manufacturing, however, the ghost jobs phenomenon doesn’t exist. Postings are legit, and the need is real, as the industry faces a persistent labor shortage. In fact, by 2030 the manufacturing skills gap could lead to over two million unfilled positions, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. 

While every industry sees ebbs and flows in labor and recruitment, manufacturing is often overlooked — to the point where the next generation isn’t pursuing careers in it. The sector is frequently perceived as being outdated and low-tech, without a clear path to advancement. 

To fill the labor gap, manufacturers are creating more modern workplaces. Yet they’re learning that perks alone aren’t enough to keep talent. Gen Z is vocal about not wanting to work in old-school environments, characterized by outdated technology and processes that have been in place for decades. They want to learn skills that will be useful in the years to come, contribute to new ways of approaching work, and make an impact.

Digital transformation — the automation of manual processes — can help address these issues, along with boosting throughput and reducing machine downtime. Still, only a third of manufacturers have progressed beyond the initial stages of digital transformation, according to a PwC survey. Meanwhile, workers are suffering from cognitive overload and burnout from being forced to learn so many disconnected systems and processes.

A recent Quickbase productivity survey of manufacturing workers in the U.S. and U.K. found that 58% are spending fewer than 20 hours a week on meaningful work. The remaining 20 or more hours are devoted to “gray work” — chasing information from multiple systems and various teams throughout the company, and burdened by technology and processes that just don’t deliver.

Following are three things that smart manufacturers are doing to improve the work-life balance of employees, eliminate gray work, and fill labor gaps.

Investing in technology that helps employees be more efficient. A closer look at information silos and the path to digital transformation often leads manufacturers to the realization that gray work is pervasive. In response, they’re moving away from point solutions and inflexible enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, with the goal of freeing employees from having to rekey data into various spreadsheets, and centralizing information on a single work-management platform.

Creating modern roles that reflect the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence and other new technologies. Employees are able to spend less time on busy work and more time experimenting, thinking strategically, and planning. These new positions include industrial internet of things (IIoT) architect, digital manufacturing operations analyst, and machine learning engineer. 

Reversing the “brain drain” by capturing information from previous generations before they retire. Manufacturers are adopting recruiting strategies that tap into newer, more technologically savvy talent pools, raising awareness of the industry’s digital future and encouraging the digitally native generation to share their insights and shortcuts. 

There’s no question that ghost jobs are a source of frustration. Yet job seekers and recruiters don’t need to be afraid of the dark. Instead, they can take a closer look at the stability and opportunities available in modern-day manufacturing, emphasizing companies with a forward-looking approach to attracting and keeping employees. 

Manufacturers looking to go beyond merely filling open positions to creating rewarding careers should examine what they have to offer employees, and whether they’re poised to take advantage of a young and eager talent pool. Because when it comes to matching the right talent with the right employer, who you gonna call?

Anthony Offredi is director of customer advocacy with Quickbase.