Manufacturers push COVID vaccinations but not mandates

While a slight majority (51%) of manufacturers encourage their employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine, only 2% said they require vaccinations and only 8% said they are incentivizing employees to get vaccinated, according to a new industry report from Sikich. The Sikich Industry Pulse: Manufacturing and Distribution also found an increase in optimism among executives; more than 80% of respondents rated their optimism on business prospects over the next six months a seven or higher on a scale of 10, an increase from the survey Sikich conducted in March. The increase in optimism comes amid continued supply chain challenges. Just under 50% of respondents reported being impacted by the global chip shortage. At the same time, manufacturers are making changes to alleviate supply chain interruptions—34% of respondents are manufacturing more products or components in the US and 18% are sourcing purchased materials from new countries.