Jonathan Lee Recruitment is fielding record numbers of vacancies as demand for roles to support engineering and manufacturing businesses throughout the West Midlands and the UK continues to grow.
Jon Blaze, head of recruitment operations at the Midlands-based recruitment consultancy explains: “Last month, we saw a number of reports and announcements that highlight just how important manufacturing is now as part of the UK’s vibrant economic mix. West Midlands manufacturing has had a stellar year, with output and order balances the highest of any region in the second quarter of 2017 and this is reflected in the number of vacancies that we are now handling.”
Last month, the EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, has reported that since March 2010 manufacturing jobs in West Midlands have increased by 9.9%, more than four times the national growth rate. Indeed, the West Midlands now boasts 14,670 manufacturing businesses in the region – up 3.1% year on year – and confidence over the last 12 months is the joint highest in the UK and the most improved from last year.
Charlotte Horobin, EEF West Midlands region director, said: “Despite some challenging times, manufacturing in the West Midlands remains strong and the region has been one of the best performers over the last year. Firms are really in their stride with our export figures accounting for an impressive 10.9 per cent of all UK manufactured exports.”
Blaze continues: “With almost 40 years looking after the recruitment needs of Midlands engineering and manufacturing businesses, this is a very exciting time for the sector and businesses in the region will have to work hard to ensure they attract the best talent, especially in emerging specialisms such as energy storage, mechatronics, robotics and vision systems. Even at Jonathan Lee Recruitment, we have been expanding our team of specialist consultants and expect this trend to continue well into 2018.”
