Scotland – Regional Labour Market Trends Report
Engineering and Technology Drive Scotland’s Professional Hiring Recovery
Scotland’s professional labour market is strengthening, with vacancies forecast to increase by 9.2% in 2026. Investment across renewable energy, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and technology is supporting recruitment growth, while improving business confidence is helping sustain demand despite continued economic uncertainty.
This exclusive co-branded report from Vacancysoft and APSCo combines recruitment intelligence with expert market analysis to explore the trends shaping Scotland’s professional labour market, highlighting the sectors, skills and employers driving growth in 2026.
Key findings:
- Scotland’s professional vacancies are forecast to increase 9.2%
- Engineer vacancies rise 27.6% as energy and infrastructure investment accelerates
- Industrials vacancies increase 32.0%, while Technology, Media & Telecoms hiring rises 28.5%
- Iberdrola leads employer growth, with professional vacancies forecast to rise 154.5%
Download a full report:
What’s inside:
Engineering and technology drive recruitment growth
Engineering is emerging as one of Scotland’s strongest areas of professional recruitment, with vacancies forecast to increase by 27.6% in 2026. IT Professional hiring is also expected to rise 16.5%, supported by investment in AI, cloud computing and digital infrastructure. Within technology, IT Infrastructure vacancies are forecast to increase 42.8%, highlighting growing demand for the capabilities required to support Scotland’s increasingly digital economy.
Industrials and TMT gain market share
Scotland’s professional labour market is becoming more concentrated in growth sectors linked to investment and innovation. Industrials vacancies are forecast to rise 32.0%, increasing the sector’s share of professional hiring, while Technology, Media & Telecoms recruitment is expected to grow 28.5%. Advanced manufacturing, inward investment and Scotland’s established technology clusters are creating demand across engineering, operations, commercial and corporate functions.
Major investment programmes translate into hiring
Large-scale investment in energy, defence and infrastructure is driving recruitment among some of Scotland’s leading employers. Iberdrola vacancies are forecast to rise 154.5%, supported by ScottishPower’s electricity network investment programme, while BAE Systems is expected to increase hiring by 57.8% as its Glasgow shipyards benefit from long-term naval programmes. AECOM vacancies are forecast to rise 28.9% amid sustained demand for infrastructure expertise.
