Workforce survey reveals engineers are dedicated but feel undervalued

Together with HR and professional services company Towers Watson, the Institution has published a study on the trends of working in engineering today.

The report called, The UK and Ireland Engineering Workforce Study provides some constructive recommendations for employers and has been based on contributions from almost 3,000 Institution members.

There was an even representation of age groups and the survey revealed a number of positive observations held by those working in the profession:

• 90% of employees feel that organisations have a strong culture and connection with their customer base
• 86% of engineers say they are willing to work beyond what is required to help their company succeed
• 73% consider their organisation to have a culture of continuous learning and improvement

However, cause for concern exists in a number of areas:

• the survey found that women engineers evaluate their position in the workforce as less valued and less well paid – and feel less able to advance their careers – than men
• only 24% of engineers believe they are valued nationally by wider society, as a sector
• 62% think their company does not move quickly enough from ideas to implementation

The survey revealed that engineers value challenging work above all other factors (52%), in choosing an employer. However, there is food for thought in the reasons given for leaving an organisation: only 46% of respondents feel their company does a good job of retaining talent; and 60% of engineers leave in order to advance their career and increase their pay.

Engineers identified key skills for the future of the sector. People management and leadership; and sustainable engineering, are moving up the agenda, according to respondents. The emphasis varied according to different age groups.

The survey reveals that, overall, women feel less positive about their place in the profession, and within companies. 45% of women feel that substantial obstacles exist to doing their job, compared to 38% of men. And only 50% of women feel that they are paid fairly, in comparison with people in similar industries; 8% below the figure given by their male counterparts.

While 47% of men feel their company does a good job of retaining talented individuals, only 37% of women agree.

Peter Finegold, Head of Education and Skills at the Institution said: “This revealing study highlights the professionalism and dedication of the vast majority of engineers, and suggests that employers should do more to value their engineers. This means implementing policies that promote staff retention and career progression – especially among women. Managers should be recognised and rewarded for their commitment to ensuring that all employees feel valued and nurtured.”

He added: “It comes as no surprise that many engineers see value in developing their people-management, interpersonal working and communication skills. Many of these skills could be developed through authentic industrial experience alongside academic training.”

The experience and perspectives of Institution members in the area of training and development are particularly positive, as would perhaps be expected. 65% say they have access to appropriate training and 64% agree they have opportunities for personal development. Particularly noted by those working in large companies, organisations are felt to have a culture of continuous learning and improvement – 73% overall.

Yves Duhaldeborde, Director, Organisational Surveys and Insights at Towers Watson, said:  “A company’s productivity relies heavily on having an engaged workforce and things like feeling supported by your manager, seeing opportunities to progress and the calibre of one’s colleagues are all vital components in getting your employees to apply themselves and actively contribute to the success of the business.”

The report makes three broad recommendations for employers:

• Review your employment brand and employee value proposition, using the survey’s findings to improve performance in the areas considered by engineers to be the key attributes of an organisation.
• Grow inspiring leaders and effective people managers, to increase employee engagement and talent retention.
• Support the development of women engineers. The country’s ability to draw more widely on the pool of female talent is critical to the growth of the UK economy.

For more information or to read the full report visit our Towers Watson page.