The report 'Engineering 2024: A Barometer of the Profession in Ireland' was launched as part of Engineers Week 2024.
Although surveyed employers indicated that there are skills gaps in the profession, respondents indicated there are 722 current vacancies in the engineering sector. Optimistic about the engineering industry, 71 per cent of engineering directors and managers planning to recruit engineers in 2024 and 68 per cent of engineering employers stated that their financial position improved during 2023, compared to the previous year.
The report indicates that the public views the sector positively, with 86 per cent believing there are abundant job opportunities in engineering, and 85 per cent considering engineering as a financially rewarding career.
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Additionally, there is an increasing trend towards flexibility in the engineering industry, as 79 per cent of employers anticipate a hybrid working model. This model allows greater flexibility to work from home, on-site, and at the office as needed, representing an eight-percentage-point increase from last year.
This year's report also found that 75 per cent of the public believes that engineers are critical to combating climate change and biodiversity loss. In 2023, 26 per cent of all Engineers Ireland CPD events had a sustainability focus and, in April 2023, Engineers Ireland became the first organisation outside of the UK to be licensed by the Society for the Environment to award the Chartered Environmentalist title.
Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: "Engineering is not merely a career, it is a vocation that intertwines with the very fabric of our nation. It is critical to ensuring that our infrastructure, our economy, and our public services can support living standards and growth – from clean water supplies and safe buildings to renewable energy and new manufacturing technologies. Our work extends beyond blueprints and equations - it touches lives, transforms communities, and safeguards our future.
"The Irish engineering landscape is teeming with opportunities and demand for engineers in this country greatly outstrips supply. As we celebrate Engineers Week 2024, there is a great sense among the public that engineering offers a positive career path for young people, with interesting work, plenty of jobs, and financial rewards, but the reality is the number of students studying STEM subjects and moving into third-level engineering and technology sectors needs to be much larger to meet our country’s current and future skills needs."
