Although engineers are positive about their careers, a public survey by Engineers Ireland suggested the public may be slightly intimidated by the sector – particularly women.
The employment market for engineers is looking positive for the year, with 71pc of engineering directors and managers planning to recruit engineers in 2024 and around 6,000 engineering job vacancies projected.
Similarly, 68pc of engineering employers said their financial position had improved during 2023 compared to the previous year, while 71pc of engineering employers said they felt their financial position would improve in 2024.
Those figures come from the latest Engineers Ireland barometer report, which collected the responses of more than 2,000 engineering professionals based around the country.
The barometer report, released today (8 March), is the seventh annual report on the state of the engineering industry here. It yielded some interesting insights into the sector, drawing on a public survey of 1,000 adults as well as the survey of Engineers Ireland professional members.
Admiration for engineers
There is a lot of respect in Ireland for the engineering sector. Three-quarters of the public said engineers are valuable when it comes to fighting the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. The vast majority of the public (92pc) said they considered engineers to be highly competent, the highest of any profession.
It seems people are aware of the careers they could have in engineering, as 86pc of the public said there are plenty of career opportunities in the sector – but only 24pc of the public felt the career was suitable for people like them. This was something Engineers Ireland’s director general Damien Owens highlighted in the foreword to the report.
In previous years, Owens has been keen to emphasise the importance of public buy-in to combat the engineering skills shortage. He has called for more apprenticeships, more ‘earn-as-you-learn’ programmes and more support for women to become engineers.
Engineering’s women problem
While the report this year was largely positive, there was a negative note to be found if reading between the lines. Just 15pc of the 2,440 respondents to the members’ survey were women, with 85pc being male.
It’s not news that women are underrepresented in the engineering industry: another report from earlier this week by LinkedIn found that women represent 17pc of software engineers in Ireland.
Research presented at a forum held on Wednesday 6 March by Engineers Ireland and Medtronic found that women are significantly less likely than men to enter the sector or view it as a suitable career choice.
According to the study, carried out by Ipsos B&A on behalf of Engineers Ireland, 39pc of women said they do not view engineering as a suitable career, compared to 29pc of men. More than a third of women respondents said they would not consider the profession if starting a career, or pursuing a career change.
Statistics from the Higher Education Authority showed that women engineers represent 12pc of the profession, while just 23pc of engineering graduates in Ireland last year were women.
Ideally a career for all
Those present at the forum conceded that the sector has a lot to do to achieve more gender parity. Owens told attendees, “We have a vital responsibility to address imbalances within STEM professions and ensure that all sections of our society feel equally comfortable taking up a career in engineering. For years women have had to overcome a number of societal and structural obstacles in the workplace and it is clear that, when it comes to engineering, barriers remain.”
Commenting on today’s barometer report, he reiterated his stance from previous years – that engineering can be a career for all.
“Engineering is not merely a career, it is a vocation that intertwines with the very fabric of our nation. 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.”
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