Engineering skills in high demand

According to a report by the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), vacancies for engineers were up 1% year on year in January for permanent candidates, while vacancies for temps and contractors were up 7%. Recently released official data shows that investment in infrastructure rocketed 23.5% year on year to a record £3.6billion in Q4 2011, from £2.9bn in Q4 2010. Infrastructure investment in 2011 was at its highest level since 1980. APSCo says that demand for engineering contractors is particularly strong in the energy sector, including oil and gas, renewable energy and power transmission. In other sectors, such as aerospace, skills shortages are still an issue. Ann Swain, chief executive for APSCo, said engineering remained the bright spot among the professional jobs market at the moment. "The UK has a long term shortage of engineering skills," she noted. "With demand so strong, the government needs to ensure that the UK's historical underproduction of engineering skills does not impede growth in vitals sectors such as oil & gas and power generation." Elsewhere in the jobs market, vacancies for professionals (including bankers, lawyers and media executives) are reportedly down 17% year on year.