The challenges of recruiting senior engineers

As tough economic conditions continue to hang over the UK, many executives in the engineering sector are feeling unsettled. Over the past few years they have seen a raft of redundancies, budget cuts and company closures. But, according to the recruitment industry, there are far more career opportunities for top-level engineers than people may realise.

In fact, the manufacturing sector is finding it difficult to recruit high-calibre individuals. A skills shortage is cited as one of the reasons behind a lack of movement at the highest level of industry. According to a recent skills report by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), 48 per cent of engineering companies are having difficulty finding suitable senior engineers and 34 per cent said that new recruits often fail to meet their requirements.

Paul Davies, head of policy at the IET, believes that engineers have made an important investment in choosing to enter the profession and should work with companies to develop their careers. ‘Our research clearly shows that there are opportunities out there for all engineers, particularly those with experience,’ he said, adding that industry needs to do more than it has to retain and train its workforce at the most senior level.