Skills deficit puts pressure on manufacturing

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Feb 9, 2004

Recruitment expectations among UK manufacturers have reached an all-time high, but lack of engineers and production managers could thwart their expansion plans.

Recruitment expectations among UK manufacturers have reached an all-time high, but lack of engineers and production managers could thwart their expansion plans, according to the latest figures from the Recruitment Confidence Index.

Recruitment activity in manufacturing has been rising steadily since spring 2003.

Half of the manufacturing organisations surveyed predict an increase in recruitment activity over the next six months compared to only 38% three months ago.

50% of manufacturers are also predicting a rise in workforce numbers (compared to only 36% in Autumn 2003).

However, the engineers, production and sales managers they will need to drive their expansion plans, are likely to be in short supply.

Well over half of respondents (58%) predict that they will have problems recruiting engineers, 42% are expecting trouble recruiting production managers and 43% say they will find it hard to recruit enough sales professionals.

Commenting on the RCI findings, Professor Shaun Tyson of Cranfield School of Management said: "The perceived lack of glamour and career opportunities in UK manufacturing have made it hard for employers to woo graduates to manufacturing jobs.

They will have to work hard if they are to attract and retain the engineers and production managers they need to drive any expansion".

Stephanie Richards Recruitment Research Manager at the Daily Telegraph said: "The lack of prestige associated with manufacturing careers can be traced back to schools and education.

As a discipline engineering simply isn't promoted enough among our young people".

She continued: "Employers are also letting UK engineers down.

They need to do more to help their technical experts make the move into senior management by providing them with the opportunities to develop the softer skills we need in our business leaders today".

The Recruitment Confidence Index is a quarterly survey set up by Cranfield School of Management and the Daily Telegraph to measure employers' recruitment expectations and business confidence.

It has been tracking recruitment plans for four years and attracts responses from nearly 2000 employers in the public and private sectors.

It is one of a basket of measures employers can use to test the health of the economy.

Other findings in this quarter include: smaller employers prefer informal recruitment methods such as word of mouth and internal recruitment - they consistently report fewer recruitment problems than larger organisations; there is little sign of any recovery in the IT recruitment market - only 15% of employers are expecting to recruit IT staff over the next six months compared with 23% a year ago; and the past three months have seen a slight rise in the use of press advertising and noncommercial recruitment methods - however, use of search and selection consultants has continued on a downward curve.