It’s an exciting time for the UK’s engineers and manufacturers. As we emerge from the pandemic and gear up for the next industrial revolution, businesses large and small are heeding the government’s call to build back better. Increasing capacity, exploiting new opportunities, and investing in factories of the future, the sector is scaling up for economic recovery.
Key to that recovery is recruiting the talent necessary to exploit Industry 4.0. Hiring is on the rise across all parts of the economy as business strategies centre on increasing headcount’s. According to CIPD’s Spring 2022 Labour Market Outlook, recruitment intentions are above pre-pandemic levels with almost three-quarters (74%) of employers stating they plan to take on new staff in the next three months.
Yet it’s a candidate’s market and attracting talent remains a major challenge. The CIPD report highlights that 45% of businesses had hard-to-fill vacancies. Manufacturing and engineering firms are amongst the hardest hit; struggling to fill the gap.
The skills shortage is well documented and long standing. PWC’s Annual Manufacturing Report 2020 found that British manufacturers were facing the largest shortage of skilled workers since 1989. The credit crunch saw many skilled workers leave the sector never to return. The ensuing repercussions of Brexit and Covid-19 have only exacerbated the problem.
In 2022, as we seek to reset the UK economy, it has never been more important for companies to have a helping hand to win the war on talent. The team at Envisage Recruitment understands the needs of design, manufacturing, and engineering businesses. The company’s industry knowledge, contacts and expertise help its clients to source the very best talent to exploit the opportunities ahead.
Envisage Recruitment continuously explore the changes taking place in recruitment, the challenges faced, the opportunities to be captured, how businesses can attract talent, and how they can future proof their recruitment processes.
