Recruitment in engineering is thriving at this moment in time. Jobseekers can almost pick and and choose where they can work. The economy is thriving right now, as a nation we are at full employment, however there is other economic factors in play in 2022.

These include rising rate of inflation, the rising cost of fuel due to the war in Ukraine and fears of a looming recession which we may not see for many years. How does this impact on the current challenges facing the engineering sector?

Find out below.

How to attract the best Engineering Talent in today’s highly competitive market

Every organisation is feeling it, finding talented engineers in Ireland, such as Quality Engineers Mechanical Engineers, R&D Engineers and Electrical Engineers has never been more difficult. During the pandemic it was expected we would be entering into a recession, luckily this hasn’t been the case.  Instead hiring requirements have gone through the roof across most manufacturing and engineering businesses in Ireland.

Our clients across Manufacturing, Engineering, Construction and Life Sciences such as Medical Device companies are reporting major difficulties attracting engineering job seekers.  We believe this is the most competitive market for engineering professionals Ireland has ever experienced. 

In 2021 79% of engineering companies in Ireland were planning to scale across 2021/2022 according to Engineers Ireland. At STEM Recruitment Partners we can validate these figures as all our client base have kept us busy finding key talent, there has been no slow down, quite the opposite!

Below we have some tips on how to attract the best engineers in this competitive marketplace.

1. Show your potential new engineers the big problem they are going to solve.

Many people like a challenge and this is especially the case for engineers. Show your potential new hires the story of your organisation and the challenges the company plans to take on. Show how they can make a difference and demonstrate how this will impact the community.

2. Start or reignite an employee ‘Referral Programme’.

Companies with a referral programme find candidates who’ve been referred are more likely to accept a job offer. This can be from 2.6% to 6.6% according to Glassdoor.  Also, employee referrals account for 10% of reported job interviews. Engineers hired from referral programmes tend to stay longer as they know what to expect from the organisation in terms of culture.

3. Bulk Up Your Benefits

If your company are on a pay rise ban, it can be difficult to attract top talent. This is where you will have to think outside the box. Post pandemic we know that demand for remote or hybrid working models are six times higher according to the Irish Examiner. 

Remote or hybrid working options is now a ‘’must’’ to include your benefits package. Pension schemes, performance bonuses are standard. Utilizing a ‘’promise to stay bonus’’ Travel or leisure benefits or guaranteed career progression scheme could be a way to attract top performing talent.

4. Asking your job seeking Engineers what they really want?

Increased salary and bonuses might not always be a huge influencing factor in getting the new employee / engineer you deserve. Simply asking potential hires what it would take to move you from your current company, could be enough to getting that new hire.

5. Your Company Is a Wise Move?

You need to sell your company as a wise career move for potential hires. Your company is a place where employees / engineers can grow and develop their career, skillset, and experience. If potential hires see this, it can build your company’s brand as a place to grow, develop and in time make the recruitment process more effective

Attracting new talent comes down to having a specific plan in place, being genuine, honest, authentic, and respecting the role of job seeking engineers.

For more information on how STEM RP can help you find top talent click here

STEM Recruitment Partners believe in making workforces more inclusive and diverse. An organisation can become more inclusive by understanding the benefits of a diverse organisation, actively pursuing workplace diversity and then creating an accepting culture. Having a diverse workforce means it is comprised of employees of varying abilities, education, languages, sexual orientation, cultural background, ethnicity, race, religion, age, and gender.

Why Workplace Diversity Is Crucial For Ireland And Its Economy?

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics based fields like life sciences and Engineering dominate the overall economy of Ireland. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is one of the backbones of the Irish economy that creates several thousand STEM-related jobs in the country. Many of the world’s largest medical device, pharmaceutical, and technology companies are based right here, in Ireland. Billions of euros are being invested in Ireland annually by said multinationals and with that comes competition to build high-performing teams.

Due to the high volume of STEM related roles being created right now, there is a big talent shortage in engineering, life sciences, supply chain, ICT and skilled manufacturing roles. There is high demand for employees from Technician and Engineer level up to Senior Management and Executive level and the current talent shortage is jeopardizing FDI and future progress. Adopting workplace diversity can act as a potential solution for the talent shortage. For instance, women working in STEM-related jobs currently account for only a minor share of the overall STEM jobs in the country. Hence, organisations in Ireland, specifically those related to STEM, can hire a diverse workforce to mitigate the talent shortage. A diverse workforce can also provide several other benefits, some discussed below.

• Higher Productivity

An inclusive and diverse workforce can positively impact the satisfaction levels of employees, which improves their performance and engagement.

• More Innovation

An environment of productivity and innovation can be fostered when individuals from different attributes, skillsets, and talents work together.

• Increased Creativity

A diverse workforce can help an organization expand its talent pool and access new information and ideas. 

• Higher Financial Returns

Companies moving towards workplace diversity can statistically achieve a higher financial return over other companies owing to higher productivity. Multinationals by nature have a diverse workforce and are reliant on diverse thinking to grow further into new territories, therefore the biggest companies in the world (most successful) alreadty have diverse global workforces. So when it comes to hiring in each individual country, why not continue to embrace candidates from other cultures and backgrounds??  after all, it’s part of what makes a major MNC so successful.

• Superior Team Communication And Dynamics

A team of individuals of different backgrounds as stated is often more creative and if nurtured can be far more dynamic as different skill sets and ways to approach a problem are explored and often yield the best solutions. If all of your staff are much the same (clones) where will original thought, idea challenging, and new approaches come from??

• Attracting The Top Talent

Millennials are expected to account for a major share of the global workforce in the next few years. Thus, organisations have to adopt the values preferred by millennials, such as collaboration, diversity, and technology. Thus, organisations can attract and retain the best talent by adopting workplace diversity. Future employees will not be interested in working with organisations that exclude people for being differnt.

• Better Reputation

Organisations promoting workplace diversity are viewed as socially responsible, eventually creating a better reputation among their customers. Moreover, workplace diversity can help Irish organisations to remain in touch with their different clients.

• Boosting In Employee Retention Rates

Workplace diversity helps boost employee retention. The organisation becomes more accommodative of many individual perspectives and characteristics. Thus, employees feel valued and accepted in such organisations. Hence can be significant for Irish companies.

• Higher Employee Engagement

In STEM-based sectors, a diverse workplace greatly enhances employee engagement. Teams will engage more while working in an inclusive environment. 

• Improved Decision Making

 A direct correlation is there between decision-making and workplace diversity. Diverse teams have outperformed individual decision-makers. Ideas are challenged more and new ways to solve issues are explored.

• Faster Problem Solving

Organisations with a diverse workforce can solve different issues faster than other organisations. Employees from various backgrounds have multiple views and experiences, thus bringing different solutions, leading to faster problem-solving.

Here in Ireland, STEM Recruitment Partners will be glad to assist organisations intending to achieve workforce diversity.

Digital Audit for Recruitment – With the globalisation of the recruitment market providing greater access for employers to meet job-seeking candidates online combined with ever-improving AI sourcing tools and automation software, creating and improving your recruitment digital strategy is a necessity in 2021, to compete for real talent.

Technology can be complicated, implementation and adaptation of new technologies are even more so. 

Our advice! keep it simple and start with a digital audit (data & technology assessment)