Demand is strong and growing. MOD expenditure with industry supported a total of 272,000 direct jobs in 2023/24, an increase of 11% compared to the previous financial year MOD supported employment estimates 2023/24 - GOV.UK. That builds on the 239,000 UK jobs the sector reached the year before MOD supported employment estimates 2022/23 - GOV.UK.
Hiring is accelerating too. The defence sector continued to be an attractive employer, with surveyed recruitment growing by 17.8% in 2022 Defence sector continues contributing significantly to UK economy - GOV.UK. Fresh investment keeps adding roles: more than 1,700 new jobs are being created across the UK defence sector following at least £1.4 billion in foreign direct investment committed since July 2024 Defence dividend delivers thousands of UK jobs following exceptional foreign investment - GOV.UK.
So the pipeline of work is healthy. The harder question is whether there are enough skilled engineers to do it.
Finding the right technical people is tough. 76% of engineering employers struggle to recruit for key roles, with technical and specialist sustainability skills topping the list Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). For a safety-critical field like defence, that shortage bites hard on test and assurance teams.
At the same time, the nature of the work is shifting. 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 – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap. In plain terms, routine checks are being automated while judgement, problem solving and systems thinking matter more.
Employers are responding by growing their own talent. 40% of manufacturers are looking to upskill their existing workforce, specifically for redeployment as a result of automation and digitalisation, and this figure increases for firms with more than 1,000 employees Make UK Executive Survey 2026. This is where AI agents fit: they take on repeatable test cycles so experienced engineers move onto the complex assurance work that only people can do.
Start with the real job, not a wish list. With 76% of engineering employers struggling to recruit for key roles Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), separate the must-have clearances and core competencies from the skills you can build on the job. A tighter brief widens your pool without lowering your bar.
Position every vacancy around the work that grows. When routine test cycles are automated, the human role becomes richer: edge-case analysis, risk judgement and assurance sign-off. That story attracts the cognitive and meta-cognitive skills the sector will lean on by 2030 Make UK – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap.
Hiring for a growing, clearance-heavy field takes time you may not have. That's where we help. Our AI agent searches 15 million candidates, ranks a shortlist in under 30 seconds, contacts matched people in under a minute and can book an interview in under three minutes, so you review strong profiles fast rather than screening from scratch.
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. That fee reflects the value of finding the right person and managing your recruitment end to end, from first search to booked interview. If you're building a defence or security test team for the higher value work ahead, start a search with us today.
