Research conducted by Experis Ireland, the company which specialises in life sciences and IT recruitment, shows that nearly two-thirds of engineers (64 per cent) are planning to look for a new role within the next 12 months. In two years’ time, 80 per cent of engineers will be looking for new opportunities in the market.
Despite the fact that the majority of the engineers surveyed indicated they are either satisfied or extremely satisfied with their jobs, 32 per cent of satisfied and extremely satisfied engineers are actively looking for new positions.
In addition, extremely satisfied engineers are most likely to change jobs because of location (36 per cent), lack of opportunities to progress in their current organisation (26 per cent) and poor management in their workplace (21 per cent).
Very confident in their ability to demand a higher wage
The survey shows engineers are also very confident in their ability to demand a higher wage, with 30 per cent of respondents expecting a 10 per cent salary increase and 23 per cent hoping to obtain a 15 per cent increase. Interestingly, there has been a drop in engineers expecting a 20 per cent plus increase by four per cent and there has also been an increase of engineers not expecting a salary increase at 15 per cent.
While engineers are keen on exploring potential opportunities, they will likely stay in their current position unless the pull factors from a strong competitor employer brand or push factors internally become too strong.
Engineers shared their top considerations when seeking a new position. Salary, bonuses and/or incentives was the most popular first choice (27 per cent) followed closely by work-life balance at second (26 per cent). Overall, top considerations when seeking a new position include:
1. Salary, bonuses and / or incentives
2. Work/life balance
3. Location
4. Working with the latest technologies
5. Lack of current opportunities in the current organisations
The market is truly candidate driven, meaning it’s a good time to be a job seeker but its not so great for employers trying to retain their top talent. Experis Ireland is advising companies to focus on retention efforts that will appeal to this talent group. Engineers are looking for a strong work/life balance, good pay, better benefits and better work culture.
Looking for new opportunities
For those who choose to look for new opportunities, a staggering 78 per cent of respondents look for job opportunities through recruitment agencies, which is even higher than those searching online via job boards, which came in at 72 per cent. Engineers also look for opportunities from referrals (39 per cent); word of mouth (30 per cent); and social media (27 per cent).
Aine Fanning, life sciences practice director at Experis, which provides in-demand talent for mission critical positions in the life sciences sector, says that as it continues to grow in Ireland, organisations must have the right talent attraction strategies in place, otherwise potential employees will work for an organisation with a better employer brand.
“As we see further investment in the life sciences sector in Ireland it is critical for companies to have the right talent attraction and retention strategies in place to protect their business continuity and retain a strong employee knowledge base.
"As much as engineers are looking at potential other opportunities in the market, when they can find those opportunities and within their current company they are generally inclined not to move.”
To download 'Focus on Engineering' visit:
https://www.experis.ie/File.ashx?m=3&path=Root/Documents/Focus_on_Engineering_20172018.pdf