Hiring in defence and security is growing, and the numbers back it up. 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 rise shows a sector adding people, not shedding them.
Recruitment itself is also picking up pace. 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 is feeding that growth too: 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. For employers, that means a competitive market and a real reason to move quickly.
Geospatial intelligence sits where mapping, imagery and data analysis meet, so the career routes it opens lean heavily on analytical and technical skills. These are the same skills the wider economy is short of. IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, a group of 193,000 workers, are among the occupations in critical demand, with 3 out of 5 indicators in critical demand in 2025 Occupations in demand 2025, Explore Education Statistics, GOV.UK.
That shortage shapes the roles employers are hiring for: imagery and geospatial analysts, data analysts who can work with mapped and sensor data, and systems designers who build the tools these teams rely on. Because the underlying skills transfer across sectors, you are competing for talent with technology firms and consultancies, not only other defence employers. The people who can read data and turn it into a clear picture are the ones everyone wants.
Done well, each hire compounds. A strong analyst attracts peers, mentors junior staff and raises the standard of the work your team delivers.
We built our AI recruitment agent to shortlist the right people quickly, so a competitive market feels workable rather than daunting. We search 15 million candidates and surface a ranked shortlist in under 30 seconds, matched to the analytical and technical skills your geospatial roles need. 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. Ready to build your analyst team? Tell us the role and we will get started today.
