The chemical industry workforce is a tough bunch. In some ways, it’s a thankless job. You work long hours in hazardous environments that carry a great deal of responsibility. Whether you’re a process engineer, quality control analyst or plant manager, you experience the challenges and opportunities in the industry firsthand.
The day-to-day struggles in the chemical workforce are common across many sectors. They include skilled worker shortages, generational gaps in the organization, work/life balance and communication issues.
Others are more industry specific. Let’s face it. The public perception of the chemical industry isn’t always favorable. Environmental and safety concerns garner many of the headlines in today’s news. Unfortunately, we see it every day here at Chemical Processing when we track reader metrics. Train wrecks and workplace accidents get more eyeballs than nuts-and-bolts articles about heat-exchanger maintenance.
But there’s another story that doesn’t get told nearly enough. The industry is at the core of nearly every product we touch. This includes products that are poised to change the world. From emerging technologies like renewable energy, water filtration/purification, EV batteries to enhancements to proven materials like coatings, gaskets and semiconductors.
One industry veteran who we interviewed for an upcoming article captured that spirit when referencing that old BASF tagline, "We don't make a lot of the products you buy. We make a lot of the products you buy better.”
The plant production manager spoke with us for the first article in a five-part series that will launch on Aug. 19. As Labor Day approaches, the series, "Chemical Industry Workforce: Shaping Tomorrow's Talent," takes an in-depth look at the state of the chemical industry workforce and its future. This first article includes interviews with workers, experienced and new, who offer their perspective into the complexities of the current labor market.
In September, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum will focus on diversity within the chemical industry, followed in October with a look at the latest training strategies. In November Managing Editor Amanda Joshi will present results from our annual Job Satisfaction and Salary Survey. The series will wrap up in December as Editor-at-Large Seán Ottewell examines the transition from academic studies to the real world. The disconnection can be a touchy subject.
Even with automation, process plants can’t function without skilled workers.
Our goal with this series is to help chemical plant operators understand what drives today’s workforce so they can deliver on their promises to make the products we all buy better.
