SAN FRANCISCO—Wouldn't it be convenient if someone had clear, intelligent answers to most of your CRE-related questions? Problem solved. Nina J. Gruen, a.k.a. Ms. Real Estate, a.k.a. the principal sociologist overseeing market research and analysis at Gruen Gruen + Associates, is here to answer readers' questions.

Dear Ms. Real Estate,

One of President Donald Trump's major priorities is to bring manufacturing back to America. In order to be and remain competitive, American manufacturing is becoming increasingly high tech. How is that going to help his fan base of white, underemployed or unemployed older workers?

—Dreading A Die-Cast Disconnect.

Dear Die-Cast Disconnect,

A succinct answer is that it is not. Even if he were successful in adding to the demand for manufacturing employees, which seems unlikely given his devastating trade policy, most of those who are out of work today or are earning less than what they need to support a middle class quality of life would not be benefitted. To survive in today's national or international markets, manufacturing firms must utilize the tools of the digital age, and there is already a shortage of workers with the required skills. A recent analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Gallup's survey data by Deloitte projects the need for 3.5 million manufacturing jobs over the decade, with approximately 2 million of these jobs anticipated to be unfilled due to a significant skills gap.

Only if those with low wage or no jobs are able to obtain the skills needed to manage and complement “high tech” manufacturing tools such as robotic manufacturing can the growth of manufacturing and processing firms enable them to climb up today's economic ladder. While it would be good if Trump could craft and implement trade and tax policies that encourage the growth of manufacturing, the “make or break” player on the Trump economic policy team will be Betsy DeVos, his Secretary of Education. Trump can only deliver on his promises to today's and tomorrow's unemployed and underemployed if the “transformation change in U.S. education” that she has promised scores multiple training opportunities from both the public and private sectors for older workers, Millennials and the i-Generation so they can do what's required on today's factory floors — starting YESTERDAY. And it will be important to not count out the potential for female workers who currently are greatly under-represented in the industry.

Women can play a major role in filling the relevant skills gap. One reason that women are currently underrepresented in manufacturing and processing industries is their lack of knowledge on how today's manufacturing not only offers well-paying jobs, but also opportunities for advancement – a major difference from traditional manufacturing when workers stayed in dead end jobs for many, many years. Some major manufacturing companies have already introduced initiatives to attract women workers. For example, Eaton Corp. has formed WAVE (Women Adding Value at Eaton) and Caterpillar Corp. has implemented a global initiative called Women in Leadership. That company focuses on recruiting the talented women by forming partnerships with organizations like the Society for Women Engineers.

So while robotic manufacturing is unlikely to solve the economic disadvantages faced by older workers, many of whom were laid off from their traditional manufacturing jobs, today's robotic manufacturing offers significant opportunities to America's younger generations.

SAN FRANCISCO—Wouldn't it be convenient if someone had clear, intelligent answers to most of your CRE-related questions? Problem solved. Nina J. Gruen, a.k.a. Ms. Real Estate, a.k.a. the principal sociologist overseeing market research and analysis at Gruen Gruen + Associates, is here to answer readers' questions.

Dear Ms. Real Estate,

One of President Donald Trump's major priorities is to bring manufacturing back to America. In order to be and remain competitive, American manufacturing is becoming increasingly high tech. How is that going to help his fan base of white, underemployed or unemployed older workers?

—Dreading A Die-Cast Disconnect.

Dear Die-Cast Disconnect,

A succinct answer is that it is not. Even if he were successful in adding to the demand for manufacturing employees, which seems unlikely given his devastating trade policy, most of those who are out of work today or are earning less than what they need to support a middle class quality of life would not be benefitted. To survive in today's national or international markets, manufacturing firms must utilize the tools of the digital age, and there is already a shortage of workers with the required skills. A recent analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Gallup's survey data by Deloitte projects the need for 3.5 million manufacturing jobs over the decade, with approximately 2 million of these jobs anticipated to be unfilled due to a significant skills gap.

Only if those with low wage or no jobs are able to obtain the skills needed to manage and complement “high tech” manufacturing tools such as robotic manufacturing can the growth of manufacturing and processing firms enable them to climb up today's economic ladder. While it would be good if Trump could craft and implement trade and tax policies that encourage the growth of manufacturing, the “make or break” player on the Trump economic policy team will be Betsy DeVos, his Secretary of Education. Trump can only deliver on his promises to today's and tomorrow's unemployed and underemployed if the “transformation change in U.S. education” that she has promised scores multiple training opportunities from both the public and private sectors for older workers, Millennials and the i-Generation so they can do what's required on today's factory floors — starting YESTERDAY. And it will be important to not count out the potential for female workers who currently are greatly under-represented in the industry.

Women can play a major role in filling the relevant skills gap. One reason that women are currently underrepresented in manufacturing and processing industries is their lack of knowledge on how today's manufacturing not only offers well-paying jobs, but also opportunities for advancement – a major difference from traditional manufacturing when workers stayed in dead end jobs for many, many years. Some major manufacturing companies have already introduced initiatives to attract women workers. For example, Eaton Corp. has formed WAVE (Women Adding Value at Eaton) and Caterpillar Corp. has implemented a global initiative called Women in Leadership. That company focuses on recruiting the talented women by forming partnerships with organizations like the Society for Women Engineers.

So while robotic manufacturing is unlikely to solve the economic disadvantages faced by older workers, many of whom were laid off from their traditional manufacturing jobs, today's robotic manufacturing offers significant opportunities to America's younger generations.