Hiring in UK manufacturing is tight, and the numbers show why relocation perks are creeping back into adverts. 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. When roles stay open that long, employers start widening the net, and that often means helping people move for work.
Skills shortages sit at the top of the worry list. Manufacturers name skills shortages (75%), recruitment (36%) and talent retention (32%) as their main barriers to growth Barclays Corporate – Skills shortage in UK Manufacturing. Put simply, there aren't enough of the right people close to the factory gate, so firms look further afield and sweeten the offer to make moving worthwhile.
Automation is reshaping what manufacturers hire for, and the shift is broad. Six in ten (59%) manufacturers cite automation and half (50%) cite wider digitalisation as trends changing jobs and skills needs, with 74% expecting demand for cognitive and meta-cognitive skills to increase by 2030 Make UK – 2030 Skills: Closing the Gap. These are the robotics engineers, controls specialists and data-literate operators now sitting at the centre of so many adverts.
The hunt is harder because adoption lags. 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. On the shop floor, UK utilisation of industrial robots uses only 101 robots per 10,000 workers Smart Machines Strategy 2035 - GOV.UK. Low density means the experienced people who can design, install and run these systems are spread thin, so firms compete nationally rather than locally.
There's a retention angle too. 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. Relocation support often sits alongside upskilling: you grow some talent in-house and import the rest.
Start by being honest about the barrier. 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. If skills are the bottleneck, your hiring plan has to reach beyond your postcode and spell out exactly what support, including relocation, is on the table.
Speed matters most when the talent pool is small. The longer a robotics or controls role stays open, the more it feeds into that 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies figure Make UK – Industrial Strategy Skills Commission Report 2025. A tight process and a clear offer, relocation included, keep good people from drifting to a competitor.
When the right automation specialist could be two counties away, reach is everything. We search 15 million candidates and build a ranked shortlist in under 30 seconds, so you see relevant robotics, controls and digital-manufacturing people wherever they're based. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If you're hiring for automation and want to reach further than your local pool, Reed.ai can help you find the right person together.
