International recruitment and consultancy firm Michael Page has published its latest figures on employment demand growth, finding that business confidence is bolstering employment growth in the Engineering and Manufacturing sectors.

 

According to the report, "Improved economic conditions and increased consumer demand in 2010 is fuelling employment opportunities for manufacturing professionals this year. The requirement for engineering professionals is also rising as businesses invest in new products and projects across the market."

 

The report found that the sector was experiencing high demand for operations managers, production managers and shift managers to ‘facilitate the production of goods in the consumer sector and encourage high levels of productivity’.

 

Salaries are expected to rise by 7 per cent  with ‘top performers’ estimated to receive 12 per cent pay rises.

 

"With the demand for skills exceeding the supply of engineering and manufacturing professionals, employers are expected will be increasing salaries to retain top talent. Average salary increases of 3–4% will be awarded to manufacturing operations professionals, based on performance. For engineering professionals with experience in the mining, resources, oil and gas sectors, higher increases will be awarded on base salaries".

 

Half of the engineering sector’s employees are likely to receive retention bonuses as incentives to stay in their current employment.

 

The report concludes that "If market conditions continue to improve, it is expected that hiring activity will steadily increase in the engineering and manufacturing sectors. There will be continual demand for skilled professionals that can drive business development in the booming economy, including Project Engineers, Continuous Improvement Managers and Six Sigma experts."


The full report can be found here