Walk onto any manufacturing floor today and you’ll see the story behind the data: operators hustling through long shifts, supervisors juggling callouts and HR teams fighting to keep production fully staffed.

You’ll also see something less visible but even more powerful — financial stress affecting everything from attendance to safety.

And the data confirms it.

An industry under pressure 

Nearly 67% of U.S. workers now live paycheck to paycheck, up sharply from last year. Among lower-income workers (a group that includes many production associates), that number jumps to 77%.

Meanwhile, manufacturing faces one of the harshest labor markets in decades:

• By 2033, 3.8 million manufacturing jobs will likely be needed, and 1.9 million are expected to be unfilled due to a skills shortage and the applicant gap in the U.S. manufacturing industry
• The average separation rate is 24% to 32% annually, with a median of around 28%
• 80% of employers report that financial stress is lowering their employees’ performance levels and costing them half a trillion dollars annually.

These pressures aren’t abstract. They show up every time an operator calls out because of a $300 car repair or a childcare emergency that can’t wait until payday.

Despite modernized facilities, many workers still hold outdated perceptions of factory work as dull, repetitive and dangerous. Manufacturing also experiences higher injury rates than private sector jobs, which only add to the difficulty of attracting and keeping talent.

In a plant, a missed shift isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s lost production, delayed orders or a line forced to run short-staffed.

Other pressures the manufacturing industry is facing include:

• Facilities in competitive regions are pursuing the same talent pool,
• Production lines are becoming more physically demanding with unsafe conditions (chemicals, heat, sharp/heavy equipment).
• Retirements are accelerating faster than backfills. Younger generations are less likely to want physically demanding roles. 
• Smart manufacturing, designed to optimize factory production, requires that workers be trained to adopt robotics, AI predictive analytics and other high tech tools.

Why Earned Wage Access (EWA) changes the story

Earned wage access (EWA) helps workers bridge the gap between bills and payday. It doesn’t raise wages — it simply lets employees access part of what they’ve already earned, when they actually need it. And it’s a payroll-friendly way for line workers to access earned wages, without disrupting operations, introducing risk or overwhelming payroll teams.

And that small shift has a measurable impact:

• Rain users work an average of 17 more hours per month.
• Employers see up to a 49% increase in 6-month retention after offering Rain.
• Improved safety on the floor because there’s less distraction due to money stress, which leads to fewer mistakes in high-risk, physically demanding environments.

These facts translate into something deeper:

• Fewer workers miss shifts because they can’t afford gas.
• Fewer operators are distracted by overdue bills or financial emergencies.
• More employees choose to pick up overtime when they can access the extra earnings quickly.

Ultimately, this leads to more worker stability on the line in production environments, which is good news for employers.

Why this matters so much in manufacturing

The manufacturing industry depends on people — not just machines.

But when more than 1 in 4 workers are separated annually, and 2.1M roles are projected to go unfilled, every missed shift, every early exit and every preventable turnover hurts production, product quality and the bottom line.

EWA helps manufacturing companies solve the human challenges behind the operational ones:

• Attendance improves because workers can deal with financial emergencies before they spiral.
• Safety improves because financial stress — a major source of distraction — decreases.
• Retention improves because workers feel supported in a role that often feels unforgiving.

Rain’s EWA solution isn't just a perk. It’s a production stabilizer.

A simple benefit that meets workers where they are

Most line workers don’t ask for much. They want to show up, do good work and take care of their families. But when a flat tire or an unexpected bill threatens their ability to get to your plant tomorrow, they’re stuck.

Manufacturer companies feel those moments in unfilled shifts, late starts and long hiring cycles.

EWA gives workers a safety net, and it gives plants the workforce consistency they need to be able to rely upon day in and day out. 

Because when workers can access their own wages responsibly, they don’t just feel more secure, they show up more, stay longer, and stay safer.

Want to learn how Rain can keep your manufacturing lines humming by keeping your line workers on the job and focused? Speak with one of our experts today.