Now in its fifth year, our Engineered in Britain 2015 report examines perceptions of the health of the UK’s manufacturing sector.
Now in its fifth year, our Engineered in Britain 2015 report examines perceptions of the health of the UK’s manufacturing sector.
We reveal the perceptions of manufacturers and the public towards the value, role and input of government in the growth of this valuable economic sector.
Published as part of our Engineered in Britain campaign, the report includes a special focus on and education and skills in the UK manufacturing sector with topics including addressing the skills shortage; views on how well government is performing in various policy areas; and recruitment and government incentives.
The findings are based on the results of two surveys, the first conducted by MSS Research, which gathered the views of 1,000 senior professional engineers working in the UK’s manufacturing sector. The second was conducted by ICM Unlimited, which put a majority of the same questions to 1,000 members of the general population.
The report was produced in partnership with national accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP.
Key findings
• Public belief that government’s commitment to a more balanced economy continues to grow from 33% in 2014 to 40% in 2015
• Future public confidence in the manufacturing sector nearly doubled since last year, while manufacturers’ confidence declined by 10% since the previous year
• Both the public (75%) and manufacturers (80%) felt strongly that government should award contracts to British-based companies
• Some 39% of manufacturers said that government policies are helping UK manufacturers, compared with 23% in 2011
• Just 29% of the public felt that they were more confident in the future of manufacturing since the Conservatives came to power
• When it comes to recruitment, respondents said that finding engineers with the right skills and abilities was a concern, with only 47% of respondents meeting their needs