The wider labour market is cautious, and that shapes how automation teams recruit. Early estimates for April to June 2026 suggest vacancies fell by 7,000 to 712,000, with decreases in 10 of the 18 sectors and 2.5 unemployed people per vacancy the ONS jobs and vacancies bulletin. The Low Pay Commission described conditions as 'low hire, low fire', with weaker recruitment but only slight increases in redundancies its 2025 report.
Against that backdrop, automation is a clear growth story. The UK still lags internationally on robot use, with only 101 robots per 10,000 workers in 2020 the government's Smart Machines Strategy 2035. Food and drink lines, one of the largest and most repetitive parts of UK manufacturing, are where much of that catch-up is now happening. As producers add robots, packing cells and vision systems, the demand shifts from filling seats to finding people who can install, run and maintain those lines.
The clearest signal is upskilling rather than pure headcount growth. Some 40% of manufacturers plan 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 Make UK's Executive Survey 2026. On food and drink lines, that means controls engineers, robotics maintenance technicians, PLC programmers and multi-skilled operators who can keep automated cells running.
Entry routes are widening too. Apprenticeships have risen from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025 the government's AI Labour Market Survey 2025, a pattern that maps onto automation as producers grow their own talent. That matters because graduate and entry-level routes elsewhere have narrowed sharply, with a 30% drop in UK entry-level job postings since ChatGPT launched techUK's analysis of Adzuna data. Building talent internally is becoming the reliable path.
Food and drink production runs at high volume with tight margins, strict hygiene rules and heavy seasonal peaks. Automation answers all three: it holds output steady, keeps standards consistent and covers labour gaps. But every new line needs people to commission it, program it and fix it fast when it stops, which is where the hiring pressure lands.
Demand for specialist skills is a national theme, not just a food and drink one. Businesses took a cautious approach in 2025 but kept chasing specialist skills in AI, data and enterprise applications Computer Weekly's tech recruitment outlook for 2026. In automation, the equivalent hotspots are controls, robotics and integration. These are the roles that decide whether a new production line pays off or sits idle.
Start by writing for skills, not job titles. A strong automation hire often blends mechanical, electrical and software knowledge, so describe the systems someone will work on, the standards they must meet and the outcomes you need. That widens your pool and helps you compare people fairly.
Move quickly and keep people warm. In a low-hire market, the best engineers are often already in work and rarely on the market long, so a slow process loses them. Combine that with a real plan for upskilling: with 40% of manufacturers redeploying staff into automated roles Make UK's Executive Survey 2026, the smart move is to recruit for potential and train for the specifics. Pair experienced engineers with apprentices so knowledge transfers as your lines grow.
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