Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, and the All China Federation of Industry and Commerce issued a notice to organize pilot projects for the integrated development of human resources services and manufacturing industries, accelerate the promotion of high-quality and full employment, and solve the problems of "difficult recruitment" and "difficult retention" in manufacturing enterprises. This pilot project is mainly carried out in about 30 cities that meet the conditions. Through about 3 years of efforts, a group of professional human resources service institutions for the manufacturing industry will be cultivated, a number of integrated development platform carriers and consortia will be created, and a number of innovative technologies, products, and models for human resources services that support the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry will be developed. A number of policy systems and effective models will be formed to promote the deep synergy between human resources, the real economy, and technological innovation. Once the notice was released, it aroused widespread social attention. Manufacturing is the foundation and cornerstone of a strong country, and an important area for solving employment and developing human resources. To achieve high-quality development of the manufacturing industry, it is inseparable from the support of a large-scale industrial workforce, and the shortage of skilled workers in China's manufacturing industry cannot be ignored. Currently, the causes of talent shortage in the manufacturing industry are quite complex. Firstly, the total supply of manufacturing talents has decreased. Since 2012, the working age population in China has shown a downward trend. At the same time, the social concept of "emphasizing education over skills" still exists within a certain range, and vocational education is often seen as a "second best" choice. In addition, the lack of close integration between vocational education and industrial development exacerbates the shortage of skilled talents in the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, as well as the structural contradiction of difficult employment for college students. In addition, there is a structural shortage of talent in China's manufacturing industry. With the advancement of technology and the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, some traditional manufacturing workers find it difficult to adapt to new job requirements, and the skill gap leads to low skilled workers being unable to keep up with the development of technology in a timely manner. It's not just a lack of people, but a lack of the people that companies need. There is a lack of high skilled and digital innovation talents who meet the needs of the company, have interdisciplinary knowledge backgrounds, have the ability to solve complex engineering problems, and are willing to take root at the grassroots level. The information friction that exists in the labor market cannot be ignored. The recruitment information of enterprises is difficult to effectively reach job seekers, and the recruitment cost of enterprises is rising. As a result, some companies attempt to solve the labor shortage problem through third-party intermediaries, leading to some chaos in the human resources service industry. It is difficult for companies and employees to form a trustworthy relationship, which is not conducive to the improvement of employee skills and falls into a vicious cycle of "difficulty in recruiting" and "difficulty in retaining". In recent years, the national level has attached great importance to the talent team building of manufacturing powers. In 2017, the "Reform Plan for the Construction of Industrial Workers in the New Era" was issued, and a series of supporting policies were introduced to promote the quality and ability of skilled talents and the continuous improvement of labor and economic rights and interests. In 2024, the "Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Industrial Workers' Team Construction" was released, focusing on innovating institutional mechanisms, improving the quality of industrial workers, smoothing development channels, and protecting rights and interests in accordance with the law, providing strong policy guidance for continuously strengthening the knowledge-based, skilled, and innovative industrial workers' team. The recent pilot work on the integration of human resources service industry and manufacturing industry will open up more new ideas for solving the problem of employment in the manufacturing industry. Human capital investment has a quasi public product attribute, and solving the "recruitment difficulty" and "retention difficulty" in the manufacturing industry requires the collaborative efforts of different entities such as relevant government departments, trade union organizations, enterprises, and vocational colleges. Relevant departments need to collaborate and continuously improve policy design to enhance the sense of acquisition of skilled talents. The education department deepens the reform of vocational education, strengthens the integration of industry and education, adjusts professional settings, and cultivates more skilled talents that meet the needs of industrial development. The establishment of more model worker and craftsman innovation studios by trade union organizations at all levels will help further stimulate the innovation and creativity of industrial workers. We will extensively carry out labor and skills competitions around key industries, major projects, and engineering projects, establish craftsman colleges, cultivate the soil for talent growth, promote the skill development of industrial workers, and allow more high skilled talents to shine on the stage. The most crucial thing is that manufacturing enterprises themselves should fully play their main role. Continuously improving internal training mechanisms, building multiple development paths, smoothing the growth channels of technical workers, linking promotion, training, evaluation, and incentive systems, improving employee benefits based on skill enhancement and performance, and achieving a win-win situation for both enterprises and employees. The difficulty of employing personnel in the manufacturing industry is both a challenge and an opportunity for us to achieve reform and breakthroughs. Breaking the bias of "emphasizing education over skills", building a full chain ecosystem of "talent introduction, cultivation, and retention", making the manufacturing industry a gathering place for talents, and creating a powerful "talent engine" for high-quality development. (Xinhua News Agency) Authors: Wang Shujuan and Li Hongjian, both teachers from the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources, China Academy of Labor Relations