Demand is climbing fast, and it's concentrated. Demand for AI skills rose nearly 200 percent in a year, with London accounting for 80 percent of AI-related job postings and nearly two-thirds of all technology vacancies in the UK The Register (Accenture data). That tells you two things if you're hiring a commissioning engineer tied to an automation or digital programme: the talent is in demand, and much of it sits inside a crowded market.
The national picture is shifting too. During London Tech Week 2025, the UK government announced a partnership to upskill 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030, equivalent to around 20% of the UK workforce techUK. For commissioning roles, where someone bridges the physical build and the digital control layer, that growing base of AI-literate people widens the pool you can draw from.
Commissioning roles sit right where automation meets people, and that's exactly where jobs are changing. 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 – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap. In plain terms, you're not just hiring for hands-on technical knowledge. You're hiring for problem-solving, judgement and the ability to learn new systems.
There's also a build-versus-buy dynamic worth naming. 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 firms with more than 1,000 employees Make UK Executive Survey 2026. Many employers will try to grow commissioning talent from within. When you need it faster than you can train it, hiring well becomes the priority.
Start with outcomes, not a job title. Write down what the person needs to deliver in the first 90 days: systems commissioned, tests passed, handovers complete Make UK – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap. This gives you a clear brief to match against, in a market where automation and digitalisation are reshaping the work Make UK – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap. Then list the skills that actually move those outcomes, and separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves.
The faster you can see who already fits, the less you lose to a slow process. Matching a clear role against a known pool of people beats waiting for the right application to arrive.
This is where we help. You post the commissioning role with its outcomes and skills, and we match it against 15 million people, so you see who already fits in seconds rather than weeks. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Post your commissioning role today and see who fits.
