The confidence of engineers in the UK has been knocked by the events of 2016, with nearly half the profession concerned about the impact of Brexit on their sector, according to a new survey.
However, engineering recruitment company Matchtech said that, despite last year’s political and economic uncertainty, the proportion of engineers expressing confidence is still high at 58%.
Construction of the new Queensferry Crossing
Matchtech surveyed over 2,500 engineers from around the world for its Engineering: Voice of the Workforce study.
When asked about the impact of Brexit, 49% of the UK engineering community said they were concerned about its impact on their sector, with 43% saying they were not.
Engineers cited reductions in budgets, as well as a lack of economic investment a clear strategy from government as key threats to engineering growth.
Keith Lewis, managing director of Matchtech, said: ‘In light of the political events of last year and the ongoing uncertainty it is unsurprising that confidence has fallen; however, we are buoyed by the recent upswing in manufacturing, which we believe will change this negative perception and bring confidence back to the sector.’
The sectors where engineering confidence is highest are rail (72%), utilities (68%) and renewables (65%).
Only 39% were concerned about the job implications of Brexit on their job against 53% who were not. However, UK engineers’ confidence in career progression has fallen, according to the survey.
Over half of respondents stated that they believe gender diversity is improving; however only one third are aware of the steps their employer is taking to improve gender diversity, and even fewer are aware of how their employer is addressing the issue of an ageing workforce.
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