Which Engineering Industries Are Still Hiring in the UK?

14 Apr 2020

The number of job seekers entering the market due to COVID-19 has steeply risen over the past few weeks, with many businesses freezing their recruitment plans until things stabilise.

First Recruitment Group works across a variety of industries, and although new jobs have understandably reduced, there are still engineering clients hiring in the UK, with key workers and business critical staff needed.

This article delves into the types of engineering companies still hiring in the UK, and how they are adapting to help in the fight against COVID-19.

UK engineering industries still hiring

Unfortunately some engineering industries that have been effected more than others with the overall industry hiring falling by 8.8%. Many businesses are cancelling or postponing plans to take on new staff as their activity slows down, whereas others are providing essential services to keep the country running, increasing their demand for candidates.

According to the latest research conducted by Adzuna.co.uk there are still a number of engineering jobs in the UK with the highest number in Kent, Bristol and Dorset; this is a trend we have seen reflected at First Recruitment Group with other jobs in Surrey, Aberdeen and the North West.

Here are some of the engineering industries that are still hiring and how it’s changed:

• Transportation Engineering: According to a survey by LinkedIn Transportation has increased its hiring by 6.9%, compared to the same time last year. This is something First Recruitment Group and our sister company Talascend International have seen reflected with their own clients. We have a number of roles within the Rail sector appealing to ex-rail staff across signalling, cross keepers, roster clerks, mobile operations managers and electrical control operators to meet their increased demand.
• Energy Engineering: The overall energy industry has paused many of its project hire, but some must still carry out essential work, with others adapting their type of work to assist with the fight against COVID-19. We are still seeing jobs in the Oil & Gas and Nuclear industries for Mechanical, Instrumentation & Controls, HVAC, Quality, Risk Control, and Pipeline Engineers, for example.
• Life Sciences Engineering: The Life Science industry is more important than ever with some projects being put on hold so companies can make fundamental changes to support the increased need for medical supplies and a vaccine. The Mirror reported a 1.4% increase in Scientific and QA jobs. Some companies are collaborating, for example, the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) carried out a manufacturing capacity audit with has led to collaboration between Oxford Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility with Pall, Fujifilm, Cobra, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and VMIC. There are also many CQV projects still going ahead across the UK and Europe too. First Recruitment Group have worked in Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals for over 20 years, and now have a dedicated Life Science division through their sister company Talascend International. You can read more on how the Life Sciences industry has adapted to COVID-19 in our Divisional Director, Giovanni Mazzella’s blog here.

How have engineering companies adapted during COVID-19

There are many engineering companies who have adapted their production to support the fight against COVID-19. Here are some examples:

• Babcock International Group have agreed to produce 10,000 ventilators for the NHS. As well as working on the Zephyr Plus ventilators, a brand-new prototype, a team of Babcock engineers and specialists have set up a supply chain solution from scratch and enlisted a number of UK manufacturers to help with the assembly and production.
• TechnipFMC teams worldwide are helping protect medical workers during the COVID-19 outbreak by using 32 printers to produce visors at their facilities.
• Eni has freely made its supercomputing infrastructure and its molecular modelling skills available for Coronavirus research, offering its contribution with its tools and resources of excellence in the fight against this global emergency.
• Chemical manufacturer INEOS has established a UK hand sanitiser factory able to produce 1 million bottles of the essential product per month.
• In one week, Inverness companies 4c Engineering and Aseptium designed and manufactured 1,000 face-shields destined for the ICU unit at Raigmore Hospital.

The fact is that it’s all hands on deck, and the engineering industry is working to protect its future.

There are still engineering jobs across Rail, Oil & Gas, Nuclear and Water sectors, although the competition will be higher as overall job volume has reduced.

Applying for jobs and how the process has changed

The recruitment process has understandably changed with it taking place online to protect both the employer and applicant, with video interviews very much leading the way. Read our tips on how to prepare for a video interview here.

Some interview processes have slowed down as businesses look to delay start dates amidst uncertainty. Other recruitment for business critical roles have become faster, with successful applicants starting their new jobs by working from home until they can safely visit a site or their office.

Be assured that we are working closely with clients and candidates to ensure the recruitment process is clear and safe.

Browse First Recruitment Group’s latest engineering job vacancies here.

Browse Talascend International’s vacancies here.