There is not only a decline of printing industry employment (see Desktop Publishing’s Legacy: 230,000 Fewer Commercial Printing Workers, and An Explosion in Content Creation Workers, Wisconsin’s Shrinking Printing Industry, US printing employment hits new low) but also a shortage of new blood entering the industry to fill positions vacated by an aging workforce. The shortage spans the spectrum of industry jobs, from management to the pressroom. To new areas of industry employment in IT.
According to Ted Ringman at the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation, the graphic communication industry will need 60,000 workers each year. Ringman says, "There 220 colleges that have graphics programs. These schools have 4,000 students enrolled in the programs. About 1,000 students will graduate as the class of 2009. Granted, not all 60,000 open positions require a graphics education. There are many non-core positions such as accounting, information technology, facility engineering, clerical, material handling, etc. that can well be filled with a general education. There are also 175 PrintEd accredited high school and post secondary programs. These schools will add less that 1,000 technically trained workers to the available graduates for the class of 2009. These statistics are very real and further show the major recruiting challenge that the Graphic Communication Industry faces."
At next month's Graph Expo, the Education Summit Committee of the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation will meet to discuss the labor shortage and other education issues. The meeting is open to all members of the industry that are interested in discussing these issues. The meeting will be held on October 28 in room S104 A&B at McCormick Place, between 7:30 and 10:00 AM.
Discussion
By Dr Joe Webb on Sep 10, 2008
There is no recruiting crisis, and why the myth persists is beyond me.
Just look at the payroll data and the wages. If there was a crisis, the price paid for labor would be rising, just like any other good.
It is not.
By Vito on Sep 11, 2008
The smart ones from the schools don't go to work for a printer, they go to a supplier, a manufacturer, or if they're really smart, they get out of printing entirely.
The wages aren't raising because the owners and operators of most firms don't put a value on academically trained print-related employees. Unless the owner went to one of those schools, or it's near Rochester NY, they never will.
When you start looking at the skill level of the typical print shop employee, and then value they bring to the table, it's clear why the wages aren't rising.
By Michael Josefowicz on Sep 11, 2008
It's not directly in the traditional understanding of the printing industry, but I know that the top 5 to 10% of students from the prestige design schools are typically making between $50 and $80K 3 years out.
One thought is that the big money is still in sales. "Consultative sales" or any of the customer facing parts of the industry bring in revenue instead of spend revenue.
Business development and entreprenuerial spirit is a basic drive of this next generation of students. Maybe if printers figured out how to tap this energy, spirit and skill set, they could increase sales and offer positions that create more revenue stream for everyone.
By Stephen on Sep 11, 2008
Vito wrote:
**The smart ones from the schools don’t go to work for a printer, they go to a supplier, a manufacturer, or if they’re really smart, they get out of printing entirely.**
How harsh and very untrue. But probably posted by a RIT print grad that thought the sheepskin was the golden key to future happiness. You still have to EARN your way in the business.
By Michael Josefowicz on Sep 12, 2008
What I've seen is that the really smart ones, work for a year or two, then start their own business.
By Jim on Sep 13, 2008
The "pending" shortage of labor in our industry is, in my opinion, self imposed. Over the past 26 years I've been in this industry I've seen over and over again how firms use the talents and then when the wage point gets to high they fire the employee - but not before having that employee share his or her knowledge.. It is a never ending cycle as owners oversimplify the process with the mindset that "the computer" does everything.
By Vito on Sep 15, 2008
Stephen, you're so perceptive that I mentioned Rochester and it caused you to deduce RIT. Would that have happened if I mentioned San Luis Obispo? Or Menomonie? How about Clemson?
You sound like an owner who once hired an RIT grad who told him he was doing something wrong, and he didn't like the fact that the person was twenty years younger than him. If you're going to hire someone largely for their education, it does no one any good to ignore that they might know something beyond the narrow niche you've provided for them to work in.
By AV on Sep 15, 2008
As the entire process becomes more digitized, from MIS based order creation, rules based auto impositions, lights off prepress systems, load-paper-and go presses, it is pretty clear that the trend is towards automating processes and reducing their variability to increase profit. Okay, fine easy to see and understand, so long as those technologies work.
Prepress workflows are the best example. There's shops running web submitted/online user-proofing/approving plating scenarios. They don't need to employ guys in "stripping", etc. In theory, they could run that with one guy handling plate loading and an IT admin troubleshooting the workflow.
But when's the last time you saw a print shop hiring a Systems Admin? The business' technology is rapidly changing in a number of areas, and a lot of shops are approaching the change the same way they did the migration from camera to imagesetter. Because changing a lightbulb requires the same skill set as configuring a RIP.
By Michael Josefowicz on Sep 15, 2008
From the selling print point of view:
I'm involved in an interesting discussion about sales and CSR's over at printplanet.com
here's the link:
http://printplanet.com/forums/management-information-systems-enterprise-resource-planning-discussion/15676-sales-vs-production-sales-strikes-back
The idea that emerged is that a CSR that was comped for continuing sales is a plausible model going forward.
If that turns out to be true, there is a career path for pre-press, and their is a real process for a long term relationship with customers.
It might also imply that another real attractive job for really smart educated students is in business development. If the comp is handled correctly, there is no limit to the upside.
By Brian Regan on Sep 15, 2008
There is a need and yes the climate has changed.
We will need more press ops and bindery and CSR's etc. that is directly impacted by retiring baby boomers. We will also need IT, programmers, tech people. These are somewhat new to our industry and we will find ourselves not competing with ourselves for the talent, but just about all other industries.
For example, the financial industry (baring the nightmare that is unfolding currently) pays VERY WELL for an IT person, but the work in general is not considered exciting. The Video game industry also needs a similarly skilled work, but doesnt pay as well as the one in the financial world, however it has a coolness factor that finds many with a passion for it taking less money to work in the cool industry.
Our industry needs to look closely at wether or not we are in the coolness area or the boring, but good paying area. If we are not in either that is reason for concern.
So the issue is much more complicated than many are thinking... retiring boomers and losing the needed skills to run the equipment. New types of skills needed in industry and printing having to compete against other industry for that talent and the ever consistent need for skilled business professionals in sales, management etc.
We all need to be looking at this issue closely, it is coming down the pike and it would not bode well to smash into it without some readiness.
By Michael Josefowicz on Sep 15, 2008
My two cents --
Whichever we go, the necessary but not sufficient condition is to have printing companies that are making real money.
The finance industry has been paying silly salaries, because they were making silly money.
But, now many thousands don't have a job. My take is that their business model was not sustainable. Doesn't do any one any good in the long run.
As printing companies regain their profitability they will be able to offer the right comp and the appropriate coolness.
I don't think it is about "educating" or "advertising", it's about a relentless focus on profits and finding the niche markets for an industry whose market is shrinking.
By Chad Skelton on Sep 17, 2008
From being a member of the 2008 graduating class from Clemson University’s Graphic Communications program, I can offer another viewpoint. At least one-third of my fellow graduates have been unable to find a job within the industry. If students from a prominent curriculum, such as Clemson’s, are being passed by, then the recruitment crisis is most definitely self-imposed.
If the printing industry wants to increase recruitment, the companies need to continue to invest in, and therefore help mold, printing and graphics focused curriculums. This investment can come in the form of equipment donations, guest speakers, symposium attendance, sponsored plant tours, and, of course, directly financial. With such a relationship in place, printing companies will receive immediate feedback from upcoming graduates, be exposed to their perceptions of the industry, involve fresh minds in research and development, and generate a lasting impression on future industry leaders.
By Michael Josefowicz on Sep 19, 2008
Thanks for view. I want to second your ideas.
By Robert Ivan on Sep 23, 2008
I second Chad Skelton's comment that the this is a self imposed crisis. I am a graduate student at NYU's graphic communications program and can tell you that many of my fellow students, my self included were never offered jobs no matter how many events we attended. I have a shoebox full of business cards and an sent-box full of unanswered emails to prove it.
The students that are working had those jobs before coming into the program.
By Emily Palmer on Sep 24, 2008
As a recent graduate of the Graphic Communication program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I am happily working in the printing industry. I find it hard to believe that Chad's classmates were unable to find jobs in the printing industry, it has been my observation that most grads make the choice not the work in the industry for various reasons.
I also wanted to point out that there are companies who have recognized the need to bring young talent into the industry and have been very succssful in doing so. Consolidated Graphics has an extremely successful program called the Leadership Development Program and I truly believe this program has contributed to CGX's success. In fact, 21 out of 70 company presidents are graduates of the LDP (and most in their 20's or 30's), as well as hundreds of salepeople and managers.
If the printing industry has a labor shortage, it is certainly self imposed.
Discussion
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