Following the success of last year’s Water Industry and the Policy and Public Affairs Salary and Employment reports, our engineering team is now working on a detailed overview of their specialist markets and is seeking the views and opinions of both professionals and employers.

The inaugural Engineering Salary and Employment report will delve into the latest trends within the marine, space, defence and automotive sectors, and will review the sentiment of employers and professionals to gauge their views on the employment landscape.

It’s no secret that there is a nationwide resourcing challenge; In fact, the UK will face a shortfall of between 1-1.5 million engineers by 2030 and our report will seek to address what is driving these issues, and what organisations can do to attract and retain the talent they need. Here’s a sneak peek of the sectors and themes we will be taking a deep dive into.

Surging space sector

Within the space industry specifically, engineers are required to help lead Europe’s growing market, which in the UK is valued at around £19 billion, and currently supports over 45,000 jobs. Space and satellites are two of the country’s quiet success stories, growing at an average rate of 4.45% over the past 12 years, approximately four times faster than the broader economy.

However, employers here face challenges in sourcing expertise due to the relatively fledgling state of the market and the fact that many specialist professionals are often lured to other parallel sectors. We’re keen better to understand the driving factors behind engineering career choices and anticipate the data painting an interesting picture of the space employment market.

Defence driving demand

Defence is another booming sector which has seen persistent and sustained growth for several decades now driven, in part, by geopolitical conflicts raging around the world. This expansion has created a growing need for highly specialised talent who possess the niche skill sets that support the development of vehicles, infrastructure, weapons and more that keep all European and UK residents safe.

The UK is home to major employers like BAE Systems, Airbus, MBDA as well as a range of suppliers that form the broader defence ecosystem, and all of which are constantly on the lookout for niche, hard-to-find skill sets. However, these experts are often hard to find, and our report will delve into the factors that motivate professionals operating in the industry, and identify what motivates them to choose specific roles over others.

Marine momentum

The marine sector is also seeing significant expansion, with the capacity of the global merchant fleet increasing by 43% between 2013 and 2021, and with a continued growth rate of around 2% anticipated every year until 2029. This specific field is highly exposed to shockwaves caused by geopolitical conflicts which can put pressure on renowned ‘pinch points’ like the Panama and Suez canals and lead to delays which have major ramifications on global supply chains. As with both space and defence, employers in this market are always seeking engineering expertise, however, they also often struggle to source the skills they need, such are the extent of ongoing skills shortages here. In the report, we’ll identify the factors behind the long-term hiring challenges, and highlight ways that employers can get on the radar of more talented professionals, ahead of their competitors.

Automotive analysis

The UK automotive sector contributes approximately £13.3 million to the domestic economy every year, however like defence, space and marine – and indeed every major STEM-tied market – it too is facing a lack of skills which could impact productivity as we head further into 2025. Our report will delve into some of the factors behind talent shortages and highlight ways that employers can gain a competitive advantage to source the professionals they need.

Outside of the individual sector analysis, we’ll also be reviewing some issues that span multiple industries, like IR35 determinations. We have long believed that the roles of many professionals have been classified as falling inside the existing regulations, when in reality they should actually be outside of them, and a more effective process could free up the skills of thousands of professionals, and save employers millions of pounds. Thankfully, help is on its way in this respect with new legal changes announced for April which will put contractors ‘back in control’, however, our data will go some way to clarifying the impact of what has been an overly complex situation for too long.

We will also analyse the role and value of flexible and hybrid working. Since the launch of our Water and Policy reports, there has been a significant pushback from organisations to limit these models and we’ll review the impact this trend is having and will outline whether it is only adding to existing engineering skills shortages. These are just a glimpse of some of the areas we’ll be focusing on in what promises to be the most significant engineering employment report for some time.

Engineering Salary and Employment report - help shape our research: how to take part

However, to develop the most detailed and accurate market information we need the views and insights of specialist engineers. The survey is fully anonymous and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. All entrants will receive early access to the highly anticipated report straight to their inbox once it has been published. Simply include your email address in the box at the bottom of the survey to receive your early copy.

You can access the survey here – we look forward to hearing your opinions on the state of the engineering employment market as we move further into 2025. The full report will be available to download this Spring and will be released on our website and via our social media channels.

If you are sourcing engineering talent, or an engineer looking for your next role get in touch with our expert team.

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