It's severe, and it's costing the country real money. In 2025 there were 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies in UK manufacturing, costing the economy £6bn in lost output every year, according to Make UK's Industrial Strategy Skills Commission Report 2025. For a small workshop, one empty CNC seat can mean turning work away.
The pattern holds across engineering more widely. The Institution of Engineering and Technology reports that 76% of engineering employers struggle to recruit for key roles, with technical and specialist skills topping the list. Manufacturers themselves name skills shortages (75%), recruitment (36%) and talent retention (32%) as their top barriers to growth, Barclays Corporate found. So why doesn't a pay rise clear the queue? Because there simply aren't enough trained machinists to bid for.
Higher pay moves people between employers, but it doesn't create new skilled workers. And movement is exactly what's coming: Rise Technical's 2025/26 Insights Report found 79% of UK technical professionals plan to change employers in 2026, based on a survey of over 500 employers and 1,000 candidates. When most of your team is open to moving, a rival's offer can empty your workshop fast.
The supply pipeline is thin at both ends. In engineering, entry-level hiring has fallen to -19% while senior hiring sits at -10%, a 9-percentage-point gap, according to a GOV.UK snapshot of entry-level hiring. Fewer newcomers means fewer trained machinists later. And you can't easily import the shortfall: for engineering, the vast majority of new hires come from the resident labour force, indicating low reliance on international recruitment, GOV.UK reports. The work of finding people has to happen at home.
Demand is shifting too. 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 skills to increase by 2030, Make UK's 2030 Skills report found. Tomorrow's machinist needs to program and problem-solve, not just operate. Pay alone can't build that.
Start by widening your view of who fits. With entry-level hiring down sharply, the SMEs that grow their own talent through apprenticeships and structured training will have machinists in two years when others still have gaps the GOV.UK snapshot shows. Write job adverts around the machines and materials you run, not a wishlist of certificates. That opens the door to capable people you'd otherwise screen out.
Next, move quickly and keep people warm. When 79% of technical professionals are open to moving, the best ones are in play for a short window Rise Technical's report suggests. A slow process loses them to a faster employer. So respond in days, not weeks, and be clear about progression, because retention (32% of manufacturers' top barriers) matters as much as the first hire Barclays Corporate found.
Finally, plan for the skills you'll need by 2030, not just today's rota. With demand for cognitive and problem-solving skills set to rise for 74% of manufacturers, hire for aptitude and attitude, then train the software Make UK's 2030 Skills report notes. People who learn fast will outlast a shortage that pay rises can't.
We built Reed.ai to do the searching for you across a database of 15 million people, so a small team without a dedicated recruiter can still reach skilled machinists at speed. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. If your workshop has a seat to fill, tell us the machines you run and let us find the right person.
