The Unique Importance of Communication Skills

What We Found

When people think about careers in advanced manufacturing, they often think first about technical expertise—engineering, programming, robotics, automation, or specialized manufacturing skills. Those capabilities are essential. However, M-SPIRE’s research revealed that employers request another skill even more frequently than any individual technical or specialized skill: communication.

Across Medical Technology, Semiconductor & Microelectronics Manufacturing, Sustainable Plastics Manufacturing, and Clean Technology, communication was consistently one of the most requested skills across subsectors, occupation types, and education levels. Employers also frequently requested other common workplace skills, including leadership, operations, management, and problem solving.

The message is clear: technical expertise remains essential, but communication and other common workplace skills are also central to employer demand across subsectors, occupation types, and education levels.

Why It Matters

As advanced manufacturing becomes increasingly automated, interconnected, and team-based, employees rarely work in isolation. Engineers collaborate with technicians. Operators work alongside quality specialists. Production teams coordinate with supply chain, customers, and leadership.

This means communication is no longer a "soft skill"—it is a core workplace competency that enables technical expertise to create value.

For educators, employers, and workforce organizations, this finding suggests that workforce preparation should not focus solely on technical training. The strongest workforce pipelines will develop both technical capabilities and the durable skills that help employees succeed throughout their careers.

Questions Leaders Should Consider

  • Are communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills being developed intentionally—not simply assumed—in education and training programs?

  • How are employers helping employees continue developing these skills after they enter the workforce?

  • Are hiring, promotion, and performance systems recognizing durable skills alongside technical expertise?

  • How can educators and employers work together to better integrate communication skills into career pathways at every level?