Retention is becoming one of the biggest workforce challenges across the global Print and Packaging sector.
While recruitment remains difficult in many specialist areas, businesses are increasingly recognising that replacing experienced operational, technical, and commercial talent is becoming more disruptive, expensive, and operationally risky.
The industry continues to operate under pressure from:
- Skills shortages.
- Leadership succession concerns.
- Operational intensity.
- Margin compression.
- Workforce fatigue.
- Increasing global competition for specialist talent.
According to Gallup:
- Global employee engagement remains below 25% across many industrial sectors.
- Highly engaged teams demonstrate significantly lower turnover, stronger productivity, and improved profitability. (gallup.com)
At the same time, Deloitte manufacturing research highlights:
- Burnout and leadership fatigue continue increasing across industrial manufacturing environments globally.
- Retention concerns are becoming particularly significant within technically specialised and operationally intensive sectors. (deloitte.com)
For Print and Packaging businesses, the challenge is no longer simply attracting talent. It is creating environments where experienced people choose to stay, develop, and lead long term.
What Industry Leaders Are Prioritising
1. Retaining Critical Technical and Operational Expertise
Specialist knowledge remains difficult and expensive to replace.
- Long-serving technical and operational employees hold significant process knowledge.
- Engineering and maintenance capability remains highly competitive globally.
- Production continuity can be heavily impacted by key departures.
What this means:
Retention of operationally critical talent is increasingly linked directly to business continuity and manufacturing stability.
2. Leadership Stability and Succession
Leadership turnover creates wider organisational risk.
- Customer and supplier confidence often linked to leadership continuity.
- Leadership gaps can impact workforce morale and operational direction.
- Succession pipelines remain limited across many manufacturing businesses.
What this means:
Retention and leadership development strategies are becoming increasingly interconnected.
3. Burnout and Workforce Pressure
Operational manufacturing environments remain demanding.
- Lean structures increasing pressure on leadership and technical teams.
- Ongoing labour shortages creating additional workload challenges.
- Increased pace of operational and technological change.
What this means:
Leadership resilience and workforce wellbeing are becoming increasingly important retention factors.
4. Career Development and Internal Mobility
Employees increasingly expect visible progression opportunities.
- Younger talent seeking broader career development.
- Greater interest in cross-functional and international exposure.
- Increased demand for technical and leadership development pathways.
What this means:
Businesses with clearer progression strategies are generally retaining talent more effectively.
5. Culture and Employer Reputation
Employer reputation is becoming increasingly visible globally.
- Candidates placing greater emphasis on leadership quality and workplace culture.
- Increased focus on sustainability, flexibility, and employee experience.
- Industry networks and digital platforms increasing transparency around employer reputation.
What this means:
Retention is increasingly influenced by organisational culture, leadership credibility, and workforce engagement.
What We’re Seeing in the Market
- Increased counter-offer activity globally across:
- Engineering.
- Technical sales.
- Operational leadership.
- Sustainability and innovation functions.
- Strongest retention challenges currently concentrated within:
- Flexible packaging.
- Labels and specialist converting.
- Automation-led manufacturing environments.
- High-growth packaging businesses.
- Increased international movement of senior commercial and operational talent.
- More businesses investing in:
- Leadership development programmes.
- Succession planning.
- Workforce engagement initiatives.
- Internal progression pathways.
- Retention increasingly viewed as a strategic operational issue rather than solely an HR responsibility.
- Greater focus on leadership behaviour, culture, and workforce stability within manufacturing environments.
Practical Takeaways for Hiring Managers
- Identify operationally and commercially critical individuals early.
- Review whether leadership structures support long-term workforce stability.
- Strengthen progression and development pathways for emerging talent.
- Assess workload and burnout risks within operational and technical teams.
- Ensure retention strategies extend beyond compensation alone.
CHI Insight
Within the global Print and Packaging sector, retention is becoming one of the clearest indicators of leadership quality, workforce stability, and long-term business resilience. Businesses that retain expertise effectively are creating a significant competitive advantage.
How This Applies to Your Team
If your business is reviewing workforce stability or succession planning, it may be worth considering:
- Which individuals would create the greatest operational or commercial risk if they left.
- Whether current leadership capability supports long-term workforce engagement and retention.
- How competitive your business is from a culture, development, and employer reputation perspective.
If useful, CHI can provide:
- Global workforce and retention trend insight.
- Succession and leadership market mapping.
- Benchmarking around leadership structures and workforce retention strategies.
- Guidance on attracting and retaining specialist operational, technical, and commercial talent globally.
Want to know more? Get in touch