ATA Recruitment
Of those surveyed 79% were currently in work
Of those surveyed we had an average rating of 2.95 happy with their current salary (2024 2.99) and 2.73 felt valued by their current employer (2.55 in 2024), a sign that companies are doing a better job in engaging their staff?
When asked what employers could do to make employees feel more valued, the top answers were:
| 2025 | 2024 |
Training and progression | 34% | 35% |
Improved salary | 24% | 20% |
Improved benefits | 15% | 15% |
Additional qualifications | 9% | 13% |
The data in both 2024 and 2025 seems to still show that salary are still the main tools (training and progression is higher?) for retention for employers. In terms of why, a sign that candidates are more aware of what is available in the market? The pressures of inflation and the cost-of-living mean UK engineers have less disposable income? (we could do with some external stats to back this up)
Of this surveyed 57% hadn’t changed companies in 2025. For those that did move, the reasons they cited were:
| 2025 | 2024 |
Poor management and not feeling valued | 25% | 15% |
Shift pattern or needing a better work / life balance | 19% | 12% |
Redundancy or lack of stability | 17% | 13% |
Lack of training or progression | 15% | 28% |
Financial reasons | 11% | 5% |
Other reasons | 10% | |
There has been a sizable shift in those attributing poor management and feeling undervalued as their main reason for leaving. Is this a sign that companies aren’t investing enough in their management teams development? Are businesses running flatter structures which have left managers more stretched? Or is it a case with the number of opportunities available to engineers they are just less tolerant now? These stats are further backed up below by those who are currently looking to move. We have also soon an increase in those looking for a better work life balance.
· 18% moving due to lack of training or progression (28% 2024)
· 25% moving due to poor management and not feeling valued (15% 2024)
· 7% moving due to redundancy or lack of stability in their roles (13% 2024)
· 25% moving due to shift pattern or needing a better work/ life balance (12% 2024)
· 13% moving for monetary reasons (4% 2024)
Of those surveyed employees are again showing no inclination to be patient with issues experienced when joining a new employer. In terms of how long they would be willing to wait:
· 20% would wait 1 month (16% 2024)
· 23% would wait 1-3 months (27% 2024)
· 26% would wait 3-6 months (24% 2024)
· 30% would wait 6 months + (33% 2024)
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