Data Spotlight: Manufacturing Workers Expect Higher Wages Post Pandemic

With U.S. employers struggling to fill open jobs, the Washington, D.C.-based polling firm Morning Consult conducted a survey that asked employees about their wage growth expectations.

About a quarter of those actively looking for work said they would accept positions where they would earn less than what they did before the pandemic in their desired industry, while 44 percent said they would be fine with about the same wage, and 32 percent said they would only accept a higher salary.

Morning Consult found some industries will likely feel pressure to raise wages, however, especially those who have inflexible work conditions. In fact, 44 percent of active job seekers who had previously worked in a factory and 42 percent of those who had worked in a store said they expected higher wages relative to prior to the pandemic, compared to 32 percent for all adults.

Additionally, among active job seekers in June, 63 percent of respondents who previously worked in a store and 51 percent of respondents who previously worked in a factory were looking for work in a different industry. That number compares to 45 percent for office workers and only 36 percent for those that worked at home.

Read more here.