Nestlé has warned that the UK’s £518bn manufacturing sector faces a growing talent pipeline challenge, as new research shows just 4 per cent of 16–24-year-olds would pursue a career in the industry.

The consumer goods giant conducted a survey of 2,000 young people that found that while 59 per cent describe manufacturing as interesting and 21 per cent see it as important, it fails to rank among the top career choices.

Healthcare, creative industries and education dominate ambitions, with engineering proving more than twice as popular as manufacturing.

However, for grocery and wider retail supply chains, where domestic production and processing remain critical, the findings show longer-term workforce risk. Only 28 per cent of respondents believe manufacturing still happens in the UK, while three in ten think most production has moved overseas.

Meanwhile, data showed a third of young people said social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are their biggest source of career inspiration, making them the single largest influence on future plans. By contrast, manufacturing appears to have limited visibility in those spaces.

The research also highlights a perception gap around skills. While 85 per cent of respondents said they were confident problem-solvers and team players, and 83 per cent rated themselves as creative, fewer than half associated those qualities with manufacturing roles.

Nestlé UK & Ireland CEO Richard Watson said: “Young people today are confident, creative problem solvers and full of potential. They have the skills that modern manufacturing needs, but there’s a perception gap we need to close.”

He added: “From apprenticeships to graduate programmes and roles across design, innovation, technology and operations, these careers don’t require everyone to follow the same route.

“At a time when job opportunities for young people and skills shortages are high on the government agenda, manufacturing offers something concrete: diverse opportunities for young people from all backgrounds.”

Nestlé, which supports more than 42,000 jobs across the UK economy, is using the findings to promote early careers routes including apprenticeships across its factory and packaging operations.

Third-year packaging degree apprentice Olivia Tomlinson at the company’s Dalston factory in Cumbria, said: “I was studying art and design when I started questioning what happened to the packaging on products I was buying. That curiosity brought me here.”

She added: “I walk around the factory seeing opportunities for improvement everywhere, something I never would have imagined doing a few years ago.”

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