Putting Talent at the Centre An Evolving Imperative for Manufacturing 2025

Images: Getty Images Disclaimer This document is published by the World Economic Forum as a contribution to a project, insight area or interaction. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are a result of a collaborative process facilitated and endorsed by the World Economic Forum but whose results do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum, nor the entirety of its Members, Partners or other stakeholders. © 2025 World Economic Forum. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system.Contents Foreword 3 Executive summary 4 Understanding the evolving talent imperative 5 1 The key to talent strategy: viewing the frontline as an investment 10 1.1 (Re)invigorating your approach to talent investment 10 1.2 Understanding your unique workforce 12 2 Building the workforce with proven frontline innovations 15 2.1 Investments in capabilities must match local talent strategy 16 2.2 Multinationals must also localize 17 2.3 Innovative talent investments across six capabilities 17 3 Way forward: Operationalizing frontline talent investment 25 3.1 Create a structured process 25 3.2 Building a cross-functional team 26 Conclusion and next steps 27 Appendix: Findings from the Frontline Talent of the Future pilot 28 Contributors 38 Endnotes 39 Putting Talent at the Centre: An Evolving Imperative for Manufacturing 2