Our consultants are seeing first-hand how acute the shortage of civil design engineers has become across the UK water sector. Demand continues to outstrip supply, and the impact on programme delivery is becoming increasingly visible. While civil engineers are typically a mobile workforce, the water sector is struggling to compete with renewables, nuclear, and oil & gas, where projects are perceived as higher profile and engagement models more attractive.

Permanent recruitment: a stagnant market

The challenge is most pronounced in permanent recruitment. There are simply not enough suitably skilled civil design engineers in the market, and those who are employed are largely settled. Many are in stable roles with competitive salaries, known teams, and predictable workloads. In that context, the perceived risk of moving roles is high, and the reward often unclear. As a result, traditional recruitment approaches are losing their effectiveness. Salary increases alone are rarely enough to motivate a move, particularly where roles lack clear progression, credible project ownership, or long-term development opportunities. Employers competing solely on pay are finding that they attract interest, but struggle to convert it into accepted offers. 

Contract recruitment: access restricted by IR35 decisions

On the contract side, shortages persist for different reasons. A key constraint we see is the continued use of blanket inside IR35 determinations. While often applied for simplicity or perceived compliance comfort, this approach significantly reduces access to experienced civil design engineers, many of whom are already engaged in long-term assignments and will not move for another inside IR35 role.Our consultants are supporting clients to take a role-by-role approach to IR35 assessments, ensuring that working practices are properly reviewed and roles that genuinely fall outside IR35 are classified correctly. Where this is done well, roles become materially more attractive and organisations gain access to a wider, higher-quality talent pool.

What engineers respond to 

Across both permanent and contract markets, engineers are looking for certainty. For contractors, this means clear, defensible IR35 determinations supported by defined working practices and commercial terms. For permanent candidates, it means clarity on role scope, progression, workload expectations, and the credibility of the projects involved. Employers who demonstrate a clear understanding of these factors, and who communicate them consistently through the recruitment process, are far more likely to secure engagement from scarce talent. 

The cost of delay

The shortage of civil design engineers is now a strategic constraint on delivery across the water sector. Organisations that rely on last-minute recruitment, generic role design, or overly cautious engagement models typically face higher costs, longer vacancies, and increased delivery risk. Those that take a more considered approach, combining accurate IR35 assessments for contract roles with structured progression and ownership for permanent positions, are better positioned to compete in a constrained market. While there is no single solution, we consistently see these organisations secure talent earlier, at lower overall cost, and with greater delivery confidence.

If you’re looking for your next specialist water engineering role, have a look at our job board.

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