Last week, our Founder and Managing Director, Adam Cave, was invited to speak at a UNESCO webinar on workforce resilience and public service delivery. Adam joined the discussion representing Murray McIntosh and AquaFed, the International Federation of Private Water Operators.

He shared insights on the current and emerging workforce challenges facing the water and sanitation sectors, as well as strategies to build scalable, resilient, and future-ready teams.

The Dual Workforce Crisis

In his address, Adam described the water sector as facing a “dual workforce crisis: one immediate, and one long-term.”

Drawing on data from our ongoing research within the UK utilities market, he highlighted that:

• Almost half of engineers identify skills shortages as the sector’s biggest threat.
• Two-thirds are exploring opportunities in other industries, particularly renewables and nuclear.
• Nearly a quarter plan to retire within five years – a “retirement cliff” that risks delivery of AMP7 commitments and longer-term resilience.

While these figures focus on the UK, Adam emphasised that, through his work with AquaFed, these are global challenges, not isolated ones.

Shifting Strategies for a New Generation

Adam urged industry leaders to rethink outdated workforce models that no longer reflect modern career expectations. Today’s professionals are driven by flexibility, purpose, and cross-sector mobility, values that traditional permanent-hire structures often fail to accommodate.

He called for a strategic shift in two key areas:

1. Unlocking agility – by better leveraging the contingent workforce, consultants, and specialists who bring flexibility and resilience to project delivery.

2. Building a future-ready workforce – by creating opportunities for mentorship, knowledge transfer, and purpose-driven roles that connect technical expertise to community and climate outcomes.

Adam also referenced Anglian Water as an example of best practice, highlighting its proactive retirement strategy that converts the “retirement cliff” into a platform for mentoring and institutional knowledge preservation.

A Call to Collective Action

Adam concluded with a reminder that public services exist to serve people, and that workforce resilience is inseparable from public understanding and advocacy. He called for a stronger link between education, communication, and recruitment, ensuring that:

• Young people understand the pathways into the sector.
• Communities are informed about upcoming challenges and progress.
• The public is empowered to see water not just as a utility, but as a shared responsibility.

“We need a sector-wide approach that treats skills, training, attraction and retention as shared priorities – not competitive advantages.”

Read the full speech on AquaFed’s website here.

Source:

Murray McIntosh. (2025). The water industry labour report 2025. Murray McIntosh. https://www.murraymcintosh.com/water/downloadable-content/the-water-industry-labour-report-2025

Aquafed & RWSN. (2023). How to guide the careers of young people in the water and sanitation sector. Rural Water Supply Network. https://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/resources/1160-how-to-guide-the-careers-of-young-people-in-the-water-and-sanitation-sector-0

Water UK. (2025, July 15). Government and water companies agree unprecedented skills commitments. https://www.water.org.uk/news-views-publications/news/government-and-water-companies-agree-unprecedented-skills-commitments

Energy & Utility Skills. (2024). Inclusion measurement framework 2023 report and recommendations. https://www.euskills.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EUS-Measurement-Framework-2024_FINAL-WEB.pdf

European Environment Agency. (2025, September 29). Europe’s environment 2025. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/europe-environment-2025