Manufacturing jobs declined by 18,000 last month, according to federal data, possibly affected by the semiconductor shortage facing many companies. Motor vehicles and parts employment declined by 27,000.

An agreement has been signed between Novavax and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance for the manufacture and distribution of 350 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for participant-countries under the COVAX initiative.

Blue Origin plans to launch its first crewed mission July 20, coinciding with the date in 1969 when NASA's Apollo 11 mission reached the moon.

Manufacturers that add security to their IT operations also must ensure it is easy for employees to implement, says Rob Williams of furniture maker Herman Miller. Turning on multifactor authorization requires educating workers "as to how it works, how it protects the organization and how they should have it on every single one of their personal accounts as well," Williams says.

Resilient supply chains need digital tools, writes Jan Burian, head of IDC Manufacturing Insights EMEA. "Building a resilient supply chain requires precise forecasting, the ability to rapidly adapt to short-term situations, supply chain flexibility, and being able to detect problems at an early stage," Burian writes.

New Balance's sustainability push includes the recently released Made Responsibly line, a limited run of sneakers made from a mix of scrap and new material. "You set it as a guiding principle, then product and marketing teams will use it as inspiration, and that's how you end up with something like Made Responsibly," says marketing executive Jeff McAdams.

Ford's expansion of remote working after the pandemic doesn't transfer to factory jobs, and the automaker is considering how it can make factories and other job sites more amenable. "When you finish your shift what if, rather than having to do a stop at the grocery store to pick up food for your family, we had food available that you could preorder a meal to take home to your family?" says Kiersten Robinson, Ford's chief people and employee experiences officer.

Manufacturers such as Bestar-Bush are trying to recruit and retain skilled workers by offering more incentives, increasing training and offering a workplace mentor. These additional steps are needed in a difficult hiring environment, which also includes competition from warehousing and other occupations.

The Manufacturing Institute is committed to supporting manufacturers' efforts to build diverse and inclusive workplaces and strengthen equal opportunity in the United States. Thanks to the support of the Arconic Foundation, the next event in the D&I Roundtable series will showcase the efforts of another MI initiative -- Heroes MAKE America. Join the next D&I Roundtable discussing "Recruiting and Retaining Talent from the Military Veteran Community" on Friday, May 14, from noon to 1 p.m. EDT. Please RSVP here.