3D printing revolutionize the industry---it generates 10 million jobs.

Today, many developed economies are struggling to keep their workforce employed, continuing to strive for higher-value labor. According to the World Economic Forum report on The Future of Jobs, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is expected to decrease low-skilled jobs globally, which will be offset by the creation of new higher-skilled, more lucrative jobs to support new technologies and business models. 24 3D printing will disrupt the existing manufacturing structure and redistribute jobs across the globe. In this context, 3D printing leadership in the new global economy becomes even more critical; countries that lead development of the 3D ecosystem will capture the influx of new digital manufacturing jobs that will be created in the future, in addition to accelerating development of new business models that define employment opportunities for the future workforce.

The implication of this global job redistribution will vary by economy. There are three key profiles of countries that are best positioned to lead the new employment landscape: Countries that currently have a base in manufacturing, countries that have high consumption, but manufacturing has dropped in recent years, and countries that do not currently have manufacturing but have a consumer base.

Countries that currently have a base in manufacturing will need to act quickly to maintain their workforce. There is a risk that there will be a net job loss if they do not drive the adoption of digital manufacturing ahead of other countries, as those jobs will shift to locations that have taken advantage of the opportunity. Countries like China fall into this category, as they have increased their share of the global manufacturing economy over the years, boosting their economy and employment significantly.

For countries that have high consumption and historically had manufacturing that has been outsourced overseas due to labor costs, there is an opportunity to revitalize the manufacturing sector and bring jobs back to the local economy. Countries such as the US and Germany fall into this category.

For countries that have not historically had a manufacturing base, there is an opportunity to leapfrog into the 4th Industrial Revolution, but it is an uphill battle to create the needed infrastructure and skill sets. Countries such as the UAE fall into this category.

Development of new business models such as 3D printing service bureaus will also create new jobs. For example, the Forecast 3D service bureau in Southern California currently supports 100 employees running a variety of equipment, recently including 12 production-scale 3D printers that allow them to become a manufacturing-scale facility rather than prototyping-focused. 91 The total impact of new business models due to 3D printing is yet to be determined.

Within the US, there could be an additional 3 to 5 million jobs in the next 10 years. These are made up of two to three manufacturing sector jobs, and 1 to 2 million jobs created due to the 1.8 x multiplier effect.

Currently, there are 12.4 million jobs in the US manufacturing sector. 2 to 3 million new jobs would mean 20% growth in manufacturing jobs that can be made possible by attracting 3D printing manufacturing business.

The new jobs in the manufacturing sector will be distributed across various types of roles.

The new jobs will be distributed across the industries that come back. If the full value at play is captured, most jobs will fall in the Industrial and Automotive sectors.

In addition, jobs will be created based on the economic multiplier effect. The opportunity for the US is a total of 3 to 5 million jobs, based on a 1.8X multiplier. There are some sources that indicate a multiplier as high as 3.4X; this would mean an additional 7 to 10 million jobs in the US.