This report examines the widening engineering skills gap in UK telecoms as a retirement surge collides with limited talent pipelines, putting £22 billion in 5G and fibre projects at risk. It highlights growing regional disparities, rising vacancy pressures, and how employers are racing to reskill and retain talent to protect the UK’s digital future.
The Swiss life sciences industry, despite a challenging dip in job vacancies in 2023 (down by 31.4%), shows a robust rebound in 2024, with vacancies projected to rise by 24.1%. R&D roles have been notably active, reflecting global trends and a renewed push in innovation.
The UK pharmaceuticals sector is recovering from its post-pandemic slowdown, with a focus on addressing the backlog of drug approvals by the MHRA. As approvals accelerate, pharmaceutical manufacturing is ramping up, contributing to an 8.8% increase in engineering vacancies in 2024 compared to last year.
If the Conservative party are to win the next election, they will need not just a serious implosion within the Labour party, but also for the UK economy to pick up in a way where they can take the credit. Longer term, the UK remains mired in the same issues that it has had for some time now, limited productivity increases, an ever increasing national debt (we last ran a budget surplus over 15 years ago) and ultimately most importantly, GDP per capita falling.
In contrast to most other sectors, businesses in Energy and Defence are on track to post more vacancies this year than last.
