Demand for plant workers is high and supply is tight. In 2025 there were 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies in UK manufacturing, costing the economy £6bn in lost output every year Make UK – Industrial Strategy Skills Commission Report 2025. Personal care manufacturers, who run precise, high-volume lines for products people use every day, feel that squeeze directly on the plant floor.
The barriers are clear. Manufacturers rank skills shortages (75%), recruitment (36%) and talent retention (32%) as their top blockers to growth Barclays Corporate – Skills shortage in UK Manufacturing. When three of the biggest growth barriers are all about people, widening your hiring reach stops being optional and starts being strategic.
Automation is changing what plants hire for. Six in ten (59%) manufacturers cite automation and half (50%) cite 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 – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap. In practice, that means more demand for technicians who can run and troubleshoot automated lines, not fewer production roles.
Firms are also rebuilding teams from within. 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 Make UK Executive Survey 2026. Hiring and upskilling now go hand in hand on the plant floor.
Skills gaps are also slowing the technology itself. 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. There is room to grow: 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 Making it Smarter: Global Lessons for Accelerating Automation and Digital Adoption in UK Manufacturing - Make UK.
Start by widening the pool. If skills shortages are the top barrier for three in four manufacturers Barclays Corporate – Skills shortage in UK Manufacturing, the people you need may not be applying through your usual channels. Look beyond identical past job titles and hire for aptitude, safety awareness and the willingness to learn automated systems.
The plants that win are clear about what the job involves, honest about shift patterns and quick to respond. Treating the first conversation as the start of the working relationship sets the tone for people who stay.
We search a database of 15 million candidates to surface people who match your plant roles, from line operatives to automation technicians, then handle the process end to end. You get a ranked shortlist in seconds and the admin taken off your plate, so your team stays focused on production. 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. Tell us which plant role to fill and we will get started today.
