A further 10.2% were working in the industry but not in an engineering or technology occupation, such as in HR at an engineering or technology company.
It also found that people working in engineering and technology occupations were also better paid, compared to the average across all other occupations combined.
The report which used data from the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS’) latest 2023 Labour Force Survey (LFS) and EngineeringUK’s ‘engineering footprint’, follows on from the Women in Engineering report that was published earlier in the year. It provides the latest figures for those working in engineering and technology roles and looks at the composition of the engineering workforce, including breakdown by characteristics including age, gender and ethnicity. Employment by region, industry and occupation are also analysed.
While the report found marked gender differences in the popularity of some engineering and technology occupations it also found that women remain significantly underrepresented in engineering and technology occupations.
Worryingly, according to the report, the percentage of women in engineering dropped from 16.5% in 2022 to 15.7% in 2023, representing a fall of approximately 38,000 women.
The report’s key findings included:
- There are approximately 6.3 million people working in engineering and technology occupations in the UK, representing nearly one fifth (19.2%) of the workforce
- People working across engineering and technology earn more on average than other occupations, at £39,163 gross pay
- The number of women working in engineering and tech has dropped from 16.5% of the 2022 workforce to 15.7% of the 2023 workforce
- Minority ethnic groups are underrepresented in engineering and technology occupations at 12.4%, compared to 16.0% amongst all other occupations
- 18.3% of women working in engineering and technology were from a minority ethnic group compared to only 11.4% of men
- Fewer people working in engineering and technology occupations reported they had a disability consistent with the Equality Act (13.6%) compared to all other occupations combined (18.0%)
- 12.9% of the UK workforce were working in engineering and technology roles in the engineering industry (either employed or self-employed) while a further 6.2% were working in these jobs in other industries.
To read the full report follow the link below.
