Important takeouts:
- Manufacturers face 44% turnover among frontline workers, losing critical process knowledge, essential to quality and safety.
- There is a major breakdown of communication between leadership and operations, with 29% of frontline managers citing unclear priorities and inadequate support.
- AI adoption faces major trust hurdles, with 36% of frontline employees distrust AI and only 17% see potential benefits in their jobs.
Behind all perfectly packaged food is an increasingly vulnerable workforce ecosystem that threatens the entire manufacturing industry. While industry leaders focus on automation and efficiency, captivating new data reveals that the human element of food production is the most vulnerable links in the supply chain and may be the most overlooked.
Recent survey results from Beekeepers’ Frontline Workforce Pulse Report for 2025surveys more than 7,000 individuals in the frontline industry and uncovers troubling patterns that demand immediate attention from food manufacturing executives responsible for operational strategies and technology investments.
Current state of frontline retention
While the industry-wide frontline workers retention has slightly improved as employment hopping declines from 52% to 45% year-on-year, the underlying issues remain.
The manufacturing sector has a turnover rate of 44% in particular. For senior food manufacturing executives, this represents not only HR issues, but strategic business challenges. When experienced workers leave, they take valuable process knowledge with them. It is essential knowledge to maintain quality, consistency and food safety in your manufacturing operations.
Communication gap between leadership and operations
Perhaps the most concern is the breakdown of communications occurring between corporate leadership, plant managers and frontline workers. According to the report, 29% of frontline managers say they have poor priorities and lack of support from leadership. This cutting is particularly problematic in food manufacturing environments where accurate execution of the procedure is critical.
For the directors of technology and innovation, this communication gap can seriously undermine efforts to implement new processes and technologies. Without a clear alignment between a company’s goals and operational realities, even the most promising innovations may not be able to gain traction.
AI adoption faces hurdles of trust
This report reveals a significant trust gap when it comes to adopting AI technology. 97% of HR staff and managers trust AI, but that number drops dramatically among frontline employees. 36% do not trust AI, and 30% are not familiar with major AI applications.
This represents a critical challenge for operational and factory managers responsible for production technology. Even if food manufacturers invest in AI for quality control, predictive maintenance and process optimization, they cannot overlook the human element of technology adoption. Without the buy-in of workers, even the most sophisticated systems may be underused or underutilized.
Management support is important
Another important finding is the importance of management involvement in driving frontline success. Workers who feel supported by managers show significantly higher levels of engagement. However, it is often the case that the manager himself feels caught up in the centre. It was expected to motivate the team while there was a lack of the tools, training and communication channels needed to do this effectively.
This challenge is particularly severe in a food manufacturing environment where a single manager may oversee hundreds of employees and multiple production lines. Without the right support mechanism, managers struggle to maintain quality standards, integrate new technologies, and develop teams.
Improve communication, awareness and training
This report outlines several practical strategies for food manufacturers looking to address frontline challenges.
- Invest in modern digital tools that support real-time, two-way communications between all levels of your organization, from businesses to plant floors.
- Establish a structured awareness program that recognizes employee contributions. This is especially important in high pressure food manufacturing environments.
- Provides transparent and role-related information about AI and its applications that are unique to AI and food manufacturing processes.
- Learning, development and career growth become an integrated part of everyday work rather than separate initiatives.
- Equipped with clear directions and user-friendly operational tools to reduce the burden on administrators.
By addressing the communication gap between leadership and frontline teams, providing better support to intermediate managers, and taking a thoughtful approach to implementing technology that builds trust through transparency, the industry can turn current workforce challenges into competitive advantages.
