The demand for PLC programmers and robotics engineers is climbing, and the pipeline is not keeping up. Over 50% of manufacturers cite skills shortages as the main barrier to AI adoption, and only 2% say AI is widely embedded across their operations a 2026 Make UK and The Manufacturer report. That gap between ambition and capability sits right on top of the people who make automation work.
The cost is already measurable. In 2025 there were 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies in UK manufacturing, costing the economy £6bn in lost output every year Make UK's Industrial Strategy Skills Commission Report 2025. Engineering feels it hardest: 76% of engineering employers struggle to recruit for key roles, with technical and specialist sustainability skills topping the list the Institution of Engineering and Technology in 2025.
Why does this matter for PLC and robotics specifically? Because the UK's automation ambitions are big. The UK ranks just 24th in global robotics density, and targeted innovation and digital investment could add £150 billion to the UK's GDP by 2035 Make UK's Making it Smarter report in 2025. Reaching that potential means hiring the controls and robotics talent to build and maintain the machines.
Automation is reshaping what employers hire for. Six in ten (59%) manufacturers cited automation and half (50%) cited wider digitalisation as trends changing jobs and skills needs, and 74% expect demand for cognitive and meta-cognitive skills to increase by 2030 Make UK's 2030 Skills report. That points straight at PLC programming, robotics integration and the problem-solving roles around them.
The context is a long-standing shortfall in robot adoption. The UK used only 101 robots per 10,000 workers in 2020, substantially lagging international peers the International Federation of Robotics, cited in the Government's Smart Machines Strategy 2035. As firms close that gap, the people who can commission, program and service robotic cells become the constraint.
Retention makes the market tighter still. Skills shortages (75%), recruitment (36%) and talent retention (32%) are manufacturers' top barriers to growth Barclays Corporate's 2024 analysis. And the people already in post are restless: 79% of UK technical professionals plan to change employers in 2026 Rise Technical's 2025/26 Insights Report, surveying over 500 employers and 1,000 candidates. That churn is a risk and an opportunity, because the engineer you want may be open to a move today.
Start by writing a brief around capability, not just job titles. A good PLC or robotics hire is defined by the platforms they know, the cells they have commissioned and how they solve faults under pressure. That focus on skills matters because 40% of manufacturers are looking to upskill their existing workforce for redeployment as a result of automation and digitalisation Make UK's Executive Survey 2026. If you can describe the skill precisely, you can match it precisely, whether you hire or develop.
Then move quickly and widen the net. With most of the market passive and likely to move in 2026 according to Rise Technical's 2025/26 Insights Report, the best controls engineers rarely sit on job boards waiting. You need to reach people who are not actively applying, approach them fast and keep the process short so you do not lose them to a competing offer.
This is exactly where speed and reach change the outcome. We search 15 million candidates, rank the PLC programmers and robotics engineers who match your brief in under 30 seconds, contact matched people in under a minute and can have an interview booked in under three minutes. Those are system speeds, and a completed hire still lands in days. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. Tell us the robotics or controls role you need to fill, and we will build your shortlist today.
