Employers urged to address engineering skills gap caused by retirement

Employers are being urged by WR Engineering to address the growing skills gap in the sector due to a record number of engineers preparing to retire.

This is after a recent ECITB report into the engineering labour market revealed that 91,000 engineers and 29,000 engineering technicians will have retired by 2026.

This is backed up by additional research from Engineering UK stating that an additional 1.8m engineers and technically qualified people are needed to bridge skills gaps by 2025.

Managing Director of WR Engineering, Lewis Richards, commented on the findings, “With UK’s engineering & manufacturing sector teetering on the edge of a steep retirement cliff, it’s clear that concerted efforts will be needed to ensure the current skills shortage doesn’t turn into a talent crisis. As a sector that contributes so much to the UK’s overall economy, avoiding this is of paramount importance.

“However, with an ageing workforce meaning hundreds of thousands of engineering roles will need replacing, companies must do their utmost to encourage young people to become engineers and skilled technicians. This can be achieved in a number of ways, whether it’s going into schools to conduct early outreach, developing a relevant EVP, or introducing flexible working.”

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