Engineering & supply chain: strong demand for technical profiles

In 2020, the demand for experienced professionals with a strong technical knowledge within the industrial and healthcare sector will increase further.

However, there is a shortage of these technical specialists, leading to a significant increase in salaries.

In 2019, the demand for technical profiles was high. This has led to an increase in the recruitment of specialists within the industrial and healthcare sectors, particularly in automation and mass distribution. Robert Walters' latest salary survey shows that this strong demand will continue in 2020.

Jülide Canan Tunali, Senior Manager in the Engineering & Supply Chain Division at Robert Walters, explains why there is such a high demand: "Today, companies need increasingly versatile profiles to meet the demands of industry 4.0. This is part of the digitisation and changes in consumer buying behaviour, who have increasingly specific needs. Organisations need to adapt so that their goods and services are more aligned to changing customer needs.

In order to better inform consumers about their products, it has become necessary for organisations to have engineers with a strong technical knowledge in their team. In addition, these engineers need to be more on the field and among their customers. Their function often includes a commercial aspect, as sharing technical knowledge with customers is an added value for companies.

In terms of the high demand in the healthcare sector, this area is becoming increasingly important. The way people are cared for is changing rapidly and the sector is affected by the explosion of new technologies. Organisations are also looking for professionals with technical skills, mainly doctors, biologists and pharmacists".

Higher salary increases

Of all the sectors surveyed in this salary survey, we expect the highest salary increases in industry and supply chain by 2020. Mainly construction engineers, electrical engineers, technology engineers, plant managers, supply chain managers and managers in the medical sector can expect a salary increase in the year ahead.

"These specialists will be able to count on a salary increase as organisations face a shortage of candidates with strong technical skills. Professionals with a solid technical knowledge are therefore in an excellent position to negotiate a salary increase, as the demand exceeds supply."33% of the engineers and supply chain specialists surveyed expect a salary increase of 7 to 10% in 2020.

Job satisfaction

The various elements determining job satisfaction have also been analysed in this salary survey. Engineers and professionals within the healthcare and supply chain sector pay great importance to a challenging job content and want to have a positive impact on the company's success. In addition, an open and efficient management within the organisation is very important to them.

Despite the fact that professionals are generally satisfied in their role, Robert Walters notes that 90% of the interviewed candidates would be open to new offers, even if they are not actively looking. When asked what are the main reasons for changing jobs, 29% said they wanted to further develop their career. 14% are willing to change when an international opportunity arises and 14% would take the step to earn more or get better extra-legal benefits.