Loupe session to explore labor market

Baby boomers are retiring, the younger generations are not large enough to fully replace them, and fewer people are choosing to enter the print industry. 

This workforce dynamic is a pressing topic for many label converter business leaders, who frequently cite hiring as their greatest difficulty.

On Sept 16 at 12:15 pm at Loupe Americas 2026, Claudia St John, founder and CEO of The Workplace Advisors, and Carrie Aaron, general manager at Maryland-based converter Hub Labels, will sit down for a conversation about labor market dynamics. 

‘Put simply: the labor pool is shrinking, aging and not being replenished, and this is hitting label and package printing hard,’ St John says. 

Their conversation is a part of two days of educational programming at Loupe Americas. In addition to workforce development, sessions will explore RFID, packaging diversification and EPR compliance, among other topical subjects. 

'We have been hearing about the “silver tsunami” for a long time,’ Aaron says. ‘The issue is not just a labels and packaging issue.’ 

St John says that the print workforce tends to skew older, and a retiring operator’s knowledge and skills can take years to replace. Underscoring this, the Congressional Budget Office projects that the US in 2030 will see more deaths than births for the first time.  

Aaron notes that the labels industry hasn’t adopted as much automation as other manufacturing sectors, which can help alleviate labor shortages. 

St John recommends that employers prioritize retaining their staff and ensure that their compensation rates are competitive. They should identify who might be retiring soon and look to hire earlier than they would have in the past to allow more time for training. 

In addition to discussing the labor market, St John and Aaron will also explore practical strategies for navigating workforce challenges during their session. 

'Effective hiring alone isn’t enough if retention and engagement are poor,’ St John says. 

To hear more from St John and Aaron, visitors to Loupe Americas can purchase an all-access Education Pass, which includes admission to all keynotes, conference sessions and workshops. Education Pass holders will also receive recaps of each session so they can review takeaways and insights on presentations they may have missed. 

To learn more and view the full two-day program, click here.