Use technology to attract the next generation of printers

The printing industry has a talent problem. As Printing Impressions explain, “Finding and hiring staff is an ongoing challenge for print service providers. While attracting skilled workers to the printing industry has been a challenge for many years, it is only intensifying as younger workers pursue careers in other industries”.

So it seems that printing companies need to take action to prevent this from happening and attract younger workers to work with them instead. One way to do this is through the use of technology. Younger generations enjoy using new software applications and automating manual tasks, and so they're looking to work for businesses that really understand the value that technology can bring to a person's role. And by showcasing that your company has this mindset, and that you support your employees in trying new tech, then you're much more likely to attract these younger people.

The younger generations, particularly Gen Z, have grown up around technology and using it has almost become second nature, so they expect to use it as part of their job too. In fact, for those aged 15-20, technology and creative design have been identified as two of the most popular career choices (HR News). And, research from Dell about Gen Z reveals that 80% believe technology and automation will create a more equitable work environment.

It's clear that these generations have fully embraced technology, and don’t feel at all threatened by it. Zapier, an automation tool with 3000+ integrations, identified in their research that 95% of Gen Z employees would be willing to automate parts of their jobs, further highlighting that desire to use technological skills that come so naturally to them, implement them into their day-to-day working role and continue to develop their abilities.

In case the above statistics haven't convinced you that technology is a great way to attract younger generations to work with you, I'll leave you with another from Zapier - 1 in 6 Gen Z and Millennial employees have quit their jobs because their employers didn’t provide them with the right technology to do their jobs. Quitting a job is a pretty scary thing for anyone to do, so I think this statistic really hammers home the importance that young people place on technology in the workplace.

Could it be time to upgrade your technology stack?