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 the MOD supported employment estimates for 2023/24. That builds on momentum from the year before, when the total number of MOD-supported UK jobs reached 239,000 in 2022/23, an increase of 6% on the previous financial year the MOD supported employment estimates for 2022/23.
The growth is being fuelled by fresh investment. 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 a GOV.UK update on the defence dividend. Hiring appetite was already climbing, with surveyed recruitment growing by 17.8% in 2022 GOV.UK analysis of the defence sector's economic contribution. The opportunity is real. The question is whether there are enough skilled hands to meet it.
Shop-floor and engineering roles sit right at the pinch point. Manufacturers rank skills shortages (75%), recruitment (36%) and talent retention (32%) as their top barriers to growth Barclays Corporate's research on the UK manufacturing skills shortage. The gap is wide and expensive: 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 talent is especially scarce. 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's 2025 skills research. This is exactly why apprenticeships matter. When the trained workforce cannot be bought off the market, it has to be built, and the shop floor is where that build starts.
Start by growing your own. With skills shortages named by 75% of manufacturers as their top barrier to growth Barclays Corporate, apprenticeships give you a direct pipeline into welding, machining, assembly and electronics roles that are hard to fill any other way. Pair each apprentice with an experienced mentor so technical know-how passes down before it retires out of the building.
Then hire for aptitude, not just a finished CV. Many of the strongest shop-floor people come from outside the sector, so look for problem-solvers you can train. Move quickly too, because when 76% of engineering employers are chasing the same skilled people the IET, a slow process loses good applicants. Finally, treat retention as part of hiring: with talent retention a barrier for 32% of manufacturers Barclays Corporate, clear progression from apprentice to skilled technician keeps your best people on the floor.
We built Reed.ai to make hiring for roles like these faster and simpler. We search a database of 15 million candidates to find the right people for your defence and engineering vacancies, and we manage the process end to end, from a ranked shortlist through to an interview booked. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Ready to build your shop floor? Start hiring with us today.
