LOS ANGELES – The skills gap that has the U.S. manufacturing industry panicked isn’t a big deal for now, says a new report from the Boston Consulting Group.

But by the end of the decade, the shortage could balloon to 875,000 highly skilled workers from a shortfall of 80,000 to 100,000 now, according to the study.

Today, the deficit of workers represents less than 1 percent of the 11.5 million total factory workers in the country. But the numbers “aren’t as bad as many believe,” said Harold L. Sirkin, who co-authored the research.

“Investment in training and skills development needs to be stepped up, but there’s little reason to believe that the U.S. cannot remain on track for a manufacturing renaissance by 2020,” he said.