Defence hiring is in a strong growth phase, and that shapes everything about pay for skilled trades. 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 the MOD supported employment estimates 2023/24. That builds on momentum from the year before, when the total number of MOD-supported UK jobs reached 239,000 in 2022/23, an increase of 6% on the previous financial year the MOD supported employment estimates 2022/23.
Fresh investment is adding to the pressure. 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 a GOV.UK announcement on the defence dividend. The sector is also pulling in talent at pace: surveyed recruitment grew by 17.8% in 2022 GOV.UK data on the defence sector's economic contribution. When demand climbs this fast, pay for the people who can do the work follows.
Pay in defence workshops is driven by scarcity. Skilled welders and fabricators sit at the sharp end of a wider manufacturing shortage. In 2025 there were 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies in UK manufacturing, costing the economy £6bn in lost output every year Make UK's Industrial Strategy Skills Commission Report 2025. Fewer qualified people chasing more roles pushes up what employers offer to secure them.
The engineering talent squeeze makes it harder still. 76% of engineering employers struggle to recruit for key roles, with technical and specialist skills topping the list the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Retention is the other half of the problem: 79% of UK technical professionals plan to change employers in 2026, according to recruitment firm Rise Technical's 2025/26 Insights Report surveying over 500 employers and 1000 candidates Engineering and Technology Jobs data. When skilled people are open to moving, pay becomes a lever both to attract and to keep them.
The barriers are consistent across manufacturing, and defence feels them acutely because the work often needs security clearance and coded qualifications on top of core skills. Manufacturers rank their top barriers to growth as skills shortages (75%), recruitment (36%) and talent retention (32%) Barclays Corporate research on the UK manufacturing skills shortage. All three point at the same thing: too few qualified people for the roles on offer.
For welding and fabrication specifically, the pool narrows further. You're not just looking for someone who can weld. You're looking for coded welders, fabricators who read complex drawings, and people who can clear the vetting a defence contract demands. That combination is rare, which is exactly why pay keeps climbing and why hiring well matters more than hiring fast alone.
Start by being precise about the role. Coded welder, plater, sheet metal worker and structural fabricator are different jobs with different tickets, so write the spec around the exact qualifications, processes and clearances you need. Vague adverts attract the wrong applicants and slow everything down.
The employers who win skilled trades act decisively. They know their pay is competitive, they keep the process short, and they make an offer before a rival does.
When demand outstrips supply, speed and reach decide who secures the right person. We search a database of 15 million candidates to surface welders and fabricators who match your spec, rank a shortlist in seconds and handle recruitment end to end, from first contact to a booked interview. 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. If you're hiring for your defence workshop, tell us what you need and we'll get started today.
