Recognizing that – for the first time – five generations are working side by side in production environments, Lighthouses are deliberate about engaging a multigenerational workforce. Each generation brings distinct expectations, skills and perspectives, while each site’s geographic context introduces unique challenges such as turnover, talent scarcity and local wage competitiveness. To address these realities, Lighthouses are designing employee journeys that dynamically close skill gaps and evolve with individual career aspirations.Lighthouses signal to younger, digitally native talent that their sites are truly tech-forward by equipping all current and future employees with the skills needed to thrive in the future of work. They are embedding digital and AI tools across the end-to- end employee lifecycle – from attraction and hiring to onboarding, training and retention – creating a holistic, data-driven view of each employee’s needs.2.2 Empowering people to thrive in a digital world Workforce transformation: empowering a multi-generational and digitally native workforce As baby boomers retire and younger employees enter manufacturing roles, Lighthouses face the dual challenge of bridging the experience gap while attracting talent to sites often located far from urban centres. Unlike many organizations struggling to adapt, Lighthouses are overcoming these challenges by reimagining training and development programmes that empower employees new to operations environments. Attracting and retaining talent with digitally-enabled employee journeys Attracting younger talent demands a digital-first approach that speaks to a generation fluent in technology. With information just a click away, candidates can quickly gauge whether a company is a tech leader through its partnerships, ecosystem presence or industry recognition. To stay competitive, Lighthouses must make their commitment to innovation visible and credible. Haier in Chongqing, China has implemented a suite of digital solutions to manage a particularly young and seasonal workforce. Located in an industrial park alongside other factories, Haier’s system provides visibility into employee skills from the moment of onboarding. New hires undergo fair and rapid skills assessments, enabling targeted upskilling programmes that accelerate time to proficiency. This system supports flexible reassignment to production lines based on customer demand and an employee’s skills and schedule preference (Figure 11).24Addressing skill gaps strategically with data-driven interventions The current generation often joins the shopfloor with limited experience, making transparent, equitable and accessible people management systems critical. Yet with an average employee tenure of six years, growing 25% over the course of the transformation, Lighthouses design solutions for a demographic mix.25 They digitize skills matrices, develop web-based apps to track progress, incorporate gamification and incentives and provide employees with a clear sense of career progression. They also design solutions such as adaptive ergonomic workstations that make jobs more accessible. AUO Corporation in Suzhou, China uses machine- learning-enabled decision engines to analyse data from over 25,000 employees, integrating “stability scores” and cultural fit with clear, explainable outputs to better assess new candidates. AI- based interviews evaluate motivation, flexibility and openness to shift work, while vision-based tools evaluate movement and ergonomics. This approach promotes objective, data-driven hiring and reduces early attrition by aligning candidates’ capabilities and preferences with operational needs (Figure 12).26 By embedding digital across the employee journey, Lighthouses attract talent, retain knowledge and build a workforce capable of meeting today’s demands and thriving amid future change. Attracting younger talent demands a digital- first approach that speaks to a generation fluent in technology. With information just a click away, candidates can quickly gauge whether a company is a tech leader. Global Lighthouse Network: Rewiring Operations for Resilience and Impact at Scale 19

Global Lighthouse Network 2026