The water industry is facing an exodus of engineers, with 70 per cent of professionals considering a move to other sectors in the next two years. That’s according to a new report from specialist water industry recruitment firm, Water by Murray.

The ‘Water Industry Labour Report’ found that seven out of ten engineers were considering working in an alternative sector, with renewables, nuclear, and oil and gas the main destinations of choice for professionals. This comes at a time when the water industry is already facing a major talent shortage, with 26 per cent of respondents listing ‘hiring & skills’ as the single largest issue facing their company.

The study of over 3,900 engineers from across the water industry also revealed that employers face an acute shortage of experienced engineers which should sound alarm bells for firms already struggling to recruit ahead of AMP8. These findings are even more concerning due to the industry’s retirement cliff, with research by Stonehaven revealing that over one-fifth of the engineering workforce is set to retire by 2030.

Elsewhere, Water by Murray’s research also revealed that 42 per cent of engineers did not feel that they had access to relevant training that would enable them to innovate at work, with organisational structures and working cultures listed as the main factors hindering this.

“To tackle these issues, employers, and the industry as a whole, need to think about how they can attract – and retain – engineering skills. In the short term, the report found that engineers are almost as equally motivated by job satisfaction as they are by pay, showing that rate increases alone won’t do the job. Instead, there needs to be a more tailored and invested approach to recruitment and retention. Employers must do more to communicate their employee value proposition and respond to the individual motivators of engineers if they want to attract and retain staff in the face of significant competition,” comments Teo De La Cruz, Associate Director at Water by Murray.