IET comments on latest workforce data from EngineeringUK

New workforce data released by EngineeringUK reveals there are 6.4m people employed in engineering and technology roles in the UK.

Key workforce data:

• There are approximately 6.4m people working in engineering and technology occupations in the UK – around a fifth of the workforce (19.3%)
• Women remain significantly underrepresented in engineering and technology. Only 16.9% of the workforce are women, compared to 56% of other occupations
• UK minority ethnic groups are also underrepresented, making up 14% of the workforce, compared to 18% of other occupations
• Disabled people make up 14% of the engineering and technology workforce, lower than the 19% across all other occupations

Commenting on the latest stats, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the IET and Managing Director of WISE, Dr Laura Norton said: "The lack of diversity in engineering and technology is not just a statistic – it’s a challenge that affects us all. Without diverse voices, we lose the creativity, innovation, and collaboration needed to tackle the complex problems our society faces. While progress is being made, real change demands consistent, committed action from employers to embed diversity and inclusion into every aspect of their work.

“We must start early – by inspiring the next generation of women engineers and by demonstrating the exciting possibilities to primary age children. Representation matters, and young people need to see real-life role models who reflect their own identities and experiences.

“But inspiration alone isn’t enough. We must also retain diverse talent. Our latest skills survey reveals that only 52% of employers have taken steps to improve workforce diversity in the last 12 months. That’s not good enough. We’re facing a skills shortage, and we can’t afford to overlook any part of the talent pool.

“With women making up 51% of the population, the opportunity is clear. Engineers design the world we live in – including products and services for everyone. To get it right, we need diversity of thought, experience, and perspective. Only then can we build solutions that truly work for all of us."

EngineeringUK has partnered with the Royal Academy of Engineering, Women’s Engineering Society (WES), BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, and Women into Science and Engineering (WISE) to address the underrepresentation of women. Together we will drive a collective mission to increase the number of girls in education pathways to engineering and technology at 18, focusing on key areas influencing girls and young women’s engineering and technology career choices.

The latest briefing with the updated engineering and technology workforce data and analysis is available on the EngineeringUK website.

About the IET

• We inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community to engineer a better world.
• We are a diverse home for engineering and technology intelligence throughout the world. This breadth and depth means we are uniquely placed to help the sector progress society.
• We want to build the profile of engineering and technology to change outdated perceptions and tackle the skills gap. This includes encouraging more women to become engineers and growing the number of engineering apprentices.
• Interview opportunities are available with our spokespeople from a range of engineering and technology disciplines including cyber-security, energy, engineering skills, innovation, manufacturing, technology, transport and diversity in engineering.
• For more information, visit The IET.

Media enquiries to:

Rebecca Gillick
External Communications Manager
E: rgillick@theiet.org