Tech Trends 2025: UK engineers feeling confident about the year ahead

64 per cent of UK engineers are feeling confident about the prospects for their businesses over the course of the next 12 months, according to the results of The Engineer’s latest Business Confidence Survey.

Indeed, despite the increasingly volatile global backdrop this year’s survey – which is sponsored by software firm Dassault Systemes - pointed to a 12 per cent increase in confidence levels since The Engineer’s previous business confidence survey, which was carried out in November 2022.  

Based on fieldwork carried out during November 2024 the survey, which attracted responses from 185 engineers working across a range of different sectors, found that 31 per cent of engineers are uncertain about the year ahead, whilst just five per cent are actively worried.

Asked to identify the drivers for their views on the year ahead, respondents offer a range of perspectives with those at the positive end of the spectrum citing strong order books; the opportunities created by the growing momentum behind decarbonization and a less chaotic UK government as reasons to be relatively cheerful, whilst those viewing the months ahead with more trepidation point to the global security picture and continuing difficulty finding the skilled people as their main causes for concern.