Factories are moving first, but the people to run the machines are the missing piece. 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 report in The Manufacturer. So the appetite is there, but the capability to scale it is not.
The vacancy picture backs this up. 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. Skills shortages sit at the top of the list of barriers to growth, named by 75% of manufacturers, ahead of recruitment at 36% and talent retention at 32% Barclays Corporate research on the skills shortage in UK manufacturing.
The prize for closing that gap is large. 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 short: the machines are ready to move faster than the hiring is.
Automation and digitalisation are reshaping what factory teams need to do. 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: Closing the Gap report. That means roles that blend engineering with data, problem-solving and judgement, not just hands on a single machine.
Many firms 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 that figure rises for firms with more than 1,000 employees the Make UK Executive Survey 2026. Upskilling matters, but it takes time, and the open roles are here now.
There's also a wider gap to close on adoption itself. UK utilisation of industrial robots substantially lags internationally, using only 101 robots per 10,000 workers in 2020 the Government's Smart Machines Strategy 2035, citing the International Federation of Robotics. Catching up means hiring the people who can specify, install, maintain and improve those systems.
Start with the work, not the job title. Automation roles sit across engineering, controls, data and continuous improvement, so write the brief around the problems the person will solve on the line, not a fixed list of tools. That widens your pool and helps you spot people who can learn fast.
Speed is the quiet advantage here. When shortages are this tight, the firm that reaches the right person first and books the conversation tends to win. A clear brief plus a fast, respectful process beats a perfect job spec that takes weeks to act on.
We built Reed.ai to take recruitment end to end so you can focus on getting the line running. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If you're ready to fill those automation roles, start a role with us today.
