Revved up for automotive jobs

Ask the average person about the current state of recruitment in the automotive sector and you are likely to hear bad news. Plant closures at MG Rover and Peugeot's Ryton facility have provided the sector with plenty of bad press over the past few years. In truth, however, this negative picture is very wide of the mark. Demand for skilled staff within the automotive sector is going strong.

'The skilled automotive sector is very buoyant and busy with a lot of project work at the moment,' said Mark Bideleux, a former chassis engineer and now automotive account manager at engineering consultant

, with seven years' experience of recruitment in the sector.

'Most manufacturers in the UK are recruiting, including

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and

, as well as the tier I and II suppliers.'

Bideleux said the closure of MG Rover did affect the market, especially since its design houses were closed at the same time as the main plant, but many of its workers moved into the aerospace sector. Consequently, any effect on the automotive market was short-lived.