If you’re a maintenance engineer in the UK, your skills have never been in higher demand. From manufacturing plants to energy facilities, employers are competing fiercely to attract and retain experienced engineers and that competition is driving salaries higher than ever.
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Rather than simply replacing roles, automation is transforming them. New technologies are changing the way aerospace professionals work, creating opportunities for those ready to upskill and adapt to a more digital, data-driven future.
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For a long time, employers wouldn’t consider candidates without a degree even though their daily work didn’t require one. Then, the talent shortage hit. Despite an overall gloomy labour market, our research shows that 76% of UK hiring managers still report difficulty finding skilled talent.
From an oversupply of talent to a shortage, something’s got to give, and increasingly that something is the degree requirement. This should be good news to the 51% of UK workers without a university degree. Read our latest report to find out how employers in industries such as manufacturing, non-clinical health care, IT and education are discovering the benefits of dropping the university degree requirement.
The UK’s specialist social care sectors – particularly in adult Learning & Disabilities (L&D) and residential care for Children & Young People (CYP) – are facing acute pressures. Financial constraints, rising demand, workforce issues, regulatory challenges and questions around long-term sustainability all shape the landscape. Below, we examine the issues in more detail and outline potential solutions.
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Manpower is pleased to confirm the renewal of our membership with Make UK, the organisation representing and supporting UK manufacturers including the defence and aerospace sectors that play such a vital role in our economy and national security.
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Intensified by surging customer expectations, digital transformation and fierce competition for talent, UK contact centres (CC) and customer experience (CX) organisations face mounting workforce challenges. However, by implementing a well-designed, strategic workforce development plan, customer care businesses can overcome the obstacles to thrive even in the toughest business climate.
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From AI and machine learning to blockchain, cloud and cybersecurity, the global IT landscape is transforming at lightning speed. Hybrid work, global talent and the rise of the gig economy are redefining how and where we work.
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Even as many industries are finally seeing some relief from the UK’s long-running talent shortage, the social care sector is still facing a serious talent problem. Despite a modest reduction in vacancies – from approximately 153,000 in 2022/23 to 131,000 in late 2024 – job openings are still 20,000 higher than they were in 2020.
It’s a talent crisis driven by an ageing workforce, with almost one third of current care workers set to retire in the next ten years, and a 24.8% attrition rate – 50% higher than the UK turnover rate for all types of role. Additionally, lower pay than many other sectors, challenging working conditions, high worker burnout and fewer young people entering the sector exacerbate the staffing problem.
Ultimately, with new government reforms likely to accelerate demand for care services, the sector’s workforce difficulties are unlikely to improve without the intervention of some radical solutions.
73% of surveyed care workers suffer high levels of emotional exhaustion.
Source: Queens University Belfast
“We’ve embraced recruiting people with transferable skills – like those from sports or volunteering backgrounds. It’s about attracting different types of people with resilience and the right values to connect with young people.”
Andrew Moss, Business Manager, Aycliffe Secure Centre
One promising approach to overcoming the recruitment shortfall in social care is broadening the hiring criteria – valuing candidates’ lived experience alongside, or even instead of, formal work experience within the sector.
Lived experience can include personal histories of caregiving, supporting relatives or community members with disabilities or illnesses, working in aligned industries such as sports therapy or charities, or even navigating their own significant health and social care challenges. Such candidates often have vital qualities such as empathy, resilience, good communication skills and a genuine commitment to care – traits that are difficult to teach but essential for quality care delivery.
Searching for workers with lived experience allows employers to find the ‘diamonds in the rough’ – candidates who would typically be overlooked in traditional recruitment processes but who have the potential to excel in social care. These hidden talents may lack formal qualifications or a linear work history, yet they can bring unique perspectives, intrinsic motivation and practical skills rooted in real-life caregiving.
By adopting inclusive hiring practices that recognise these qualities, care businesses can unlock a wider, deeper, often untapped talent pool, enriching their workforce with individuals who may become some of their most dedicated and effective care providers.
“Grit and resilience outweigh IQ by a country mile. AI should be looking for those characteristics.”
Chance Bleu-Montgomery, Partners Support Manager at Bridge of Hope Careers
Expanding recruitment criteria to include candidates with valuable lived experience offers a practical and immediate solution to the talent shortage in social care. When combined with the proactive retention of experienced staff and enhancements in pay and conditions, valuing lived experience can help build a more sustainable, skilled and compassionate workforce; virtues that will be crucial to meet future demand for services while ensuring the highest quality of care standards.
For an in-depth overview of UK social care, including the embracement of lived experience candidates, download the Brook Street 2025 Social Care Trends Report now.