Manufacturing executives say part of the problem is that many young Americans just don't want to work in factories, in part because of fears about robots taking over and jobs getting shipped overseas.
"We have a perception problem. People don't know the jobs are here or that these are jobs they want," Carolyn Lee, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, told CNN Business. The institute is the nonprofit workforce development partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, a powerful industry trade group.
"People think it's a stationary, low-progression and low-knowledge industry. And that's not the case," Lee said.
The Deloitte report said that despite an influx of 2.7 million industrial robots in use worldwide, humans are still needed to produce the vast amount of goods.
"The robots are not taking over," said Lee. "A robot can pick up a box and move it, but a person can be creative and get ahead of what's coming."
Yet some robotics startups are seeking to capitalize on the shortage of skilled workers.
Path Robotics, a Columbus, Ohio-based startup, says it has designed the world's first truly autonomous robotic welding system. The startup announced a $56 million round of funding Monday to fuel its expansion.
"Path Robotics is solving a complex and critical problem in our country by bridging the gap between the supply of skilled welders and demand," Lee Fixel, founder of Addition, a venture capital firm that led the round of funding, said in a statement.