Defence is one of the UK's strongest engines for work right now. 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 momentum has built quickly: the total number of MOD-supported UK jobs reached 239,000 in 2022/23, an increase of 6% on the previous financial year MOD supported employment estimates 2022/23 - GOV.UK.
Fresh investment keeps adding to the picture. 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. And the sector has pulled hard on talent before: surveyed recruitment grew by 17.8% in 2022 Defence sector continues contributing significantly to UK economy - GOV.UK. For a small or mid-sized supplier, that means competing for the same engineers as primes and new entrants alike.
Model-based engineering replaces stacks of documents with a single connected digital model of the system. That changes the shape of the team. Instead of hiring one person per tool or sub-discipline, you need engineers who can work across the model, link requirements to simulation, and spot how a change in one area ripples through the rest.
The wider engineering market shows how scarce these people are. 76% of engineering employers struggle to recruit for key roles, with technical and specialist skills topping the list Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The demand is tilting towards thinking skills, not just tool knowledge: 74% of manufacturers expect demand for cognitive and meta-cognitive skills to increase by 2030, while six in ten (59%) cited automation and half (50%) cited wider digitalisation as trends reshaping jobs Make UK – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap.
The barrier is people, not technology. 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 The Manufacturer / Make UK – AI, Skills and the Future of UK Manufacturing. Model-based ways of working run into the same wall: the digital method is ready long before the digital skills are.
Start by hiring for breadth. Write job adverts around the ability to reason across a system model, trace requirements to test, and move between simulation and hardware, rather than around a single software package. The thinking transfers; a specific tool can be learned.
Pair recruitment with a plan to grow the skills you cannot buy. 40% of manufacturers are looking to upskill their existing workforce, specifically for redeployment as a result of automation and digitalisation, and that figure increases for larger firms Make UK Executive Survey 2026. For an SME, a blended approach works best: hire a few systems-minded engineers who can model well, then upskill experienced staff around them.
When the right systems engineer is rare and in demand everywhere, speed and reach matter. We search a database of 15 million candidates to find people with the modelling and systems skills your project needs, and we manage the process end to end. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Tell Reed.ai the role, and we will start building your shortlist today.
