There are several reasons why this skills gap is worsening: from ongoing economic stagnation to changing productivity levels. We’re seeing high demand for top engineering jobs, without enough candidate supply to fill the vacancies. At the same time, we’re seeing average salaries increase.

 

While this may seem like filling engineering roles is too tough a task, there is hope. Our Workforce of the Future report can help you to source the talent you need, focusing on key roles and emerging locations. In the blog below, we’ve detailed the most in-demand engineering jobs. We explore how disciplines are changing and how to fill essential skills gaps.

 

 

Job roles are changing — and engineering is no different. With technological advancements increasing in pace and frequency, we’re seeing the engineering industry aligning with roles involving more advanced systems implementation. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning is also rising quickly.

 

As such, technology and engineering are coming closer together. But it’s not just about implementing these new systems. As we use AI more, there is an increase in roles responsible for its ethical implementation and ongoing improvement.

 

Likewise, many of the most popular roles focus on increasing efficiency and reliability. We’ve seen roles like Robotics Engineer fall off the list, replaced with a number of roles that focus on safety and streamlining. As we move forward, this trend may continue to grow, along with roles that develop newer, greener systems.

 

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 most in-demand jobs in the engineering industry in 2024.

 

Second is the Embedded Software Engineer job role. This role uses programming languages to build and streamline software on devices and systems.

 

Often, Software Engineers will work closely with the technical hardware team. Bringing together engineering jobs with technology roles can make crucial speed and reliability gains in the software development process.

 

 

Electrical engineer jobs are also common and widely recruited. Once again, this role requires high levels of adaptability as they work across varying projects. Electrical engineers focus on:

 

Developing and testing electronic systems.

Building efficient, reliable, safe products.

Working across multiple industries: from aerospace to healthcare.

 

 

Another frequent role on our top engineering jobs list is Chemical Engineer. Chemical Engineers are constantly in demand across various industries. This role centres on designing and improving processes for the production of chemicals and fuels.

 

Working with AI and machine learning technologies, Chemical Engineers are increasingly gaining pace. Large language models (LLMs) can help to solve chemical engineering problems quickly. From turbine efficiency to reactive time, AI can resolve complex equations whilst engineers focus on their experiments.

 

 

As we’ve seen, a growing trend is the hiring of engineers to make current systems safer and more reliable and. That’s why, as a role, the Reliability Engineer has come in high on our list. Among their range of responsibilities and methodologies, the Reliability Engineer will help a company reduce downtime while improving operational efficiency.

 

As we’ve seen in all industries, AI can be particularly valuable for roles focused on expediting company processes.

 

 

Systems/Software Engineers are always in high demand. We see these engineers working across a range of sectors — from cybersecurity and data analysis to general software design. Regardless of industry, these engineers will develop, test and maintain key systems to ensure their ongoing functionality.

 

 

At seven on our list is the Project Engineer. This is often a more specialised engineering career path. This role requires problem-solving skills, communication across teams, partners and stakeholders, as well as keeping projects on track and within budget.

 

 

A Maintenance Engineer is always in demand across a range of sectors. They work to maintain and improve business-critical machines and systems. Maintenance experts inspect and repair systems on a day-to-day basis.

 

AI technologies that review system performance and identify potential issues can be particularly valuable in this engineering job.

 

 

Next on our list is the Manufacturing Engineer. Working to improve production processes, this role involves implementing any new system that increases productivity. Where once we relied on Data Engineering experts to review and improve processes, Manufacturing Engineers can work with AI to achieve similar results.

 

 

Finally, Quality and Assurance Engineers are also in high demand. This follows the ongoing trend of hiring for job roles that help businesses make the most of current and new processes. This type of engineering job requires someone who will review, test and inspect products to meet applicable regulations and guidelines.

 

Automating some elements of these inspections can help to make a Quality and Assurance Engineering job more efficient.

 

You may have noticed our list of the top 10 engineering jobs doesn’t include roles like nuclear engineers, civil engineering, biomedical engineers, or mechanical engineering.

 

The absence of these familiar roles reflects a shift in the engineering industry. Engineers are increasingly expected to work with AI technologies to focus on process efficiency.

 

Other shifts in the industry include:

 

The popularity of hiring engineers from overseas: This is a growing trend, with the top emerging talent networks including Malaysia, Colombia and India. These countries are all seeing a healthy uptick of new engineering talent, with increased uptake for engineering degrees supporting the recruitment pipeline in-country and overseas.

 

The top engineering talent networks come from countries with traditionally strong economies: The USA, China, India, Brazil and Germany have the largest supply of candidates for each open role.

 

But at the same time, we’re also seeing significant skills gaps: New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK and Canada are all in the top 5 countries with the fewest candidates per role.

 

In this case, companies need to consider other options to fill their key vacancies. This may continue in time, as we see the rise of more engineering jobs that focus on sustainability and renewable energy. The companies that thrive will be those that consider traditional, emerging and new hiring sources.

 

Are you looking to fill engineering skills gaps? Get in contact today to learn more about how we can support your 2024 hiring strategy.