The UK aerospace and defence sector is entering one of its busiest recruitment periods in recent years.
Continued investment in defence programmes, sustainable aviation, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies has increased demand for skilled engineering professionals across the UK. At the same time, employers are competing harder than ever to attract and retain experienced talent.
To understand how the market has evolved, Jonathan Lee Recruitment compared the findings from its 2024 and 2026 Engineering & Design Talent Insights Reports. Drawing on data from more than 32,000 UK aerospace and defence professionals, LinkedIn labour market insights, Glassdoor salary data and our own recruitment expertise, the findings reveal a sector that is growing in both size and opportunity.
The UK aerospace talent market is growing
Perhaps the biggest change over the last two years is the size of the available talent pool.
In 2024, our report analysed just over 25,000 aerospace and defence professionals. By 2026, that figure had increased to more than 32,000 – representing growth of almost 28%.
The market has also reversed the decline identified in our previous report. While the 2024 analysis showed a shrinking talent pool, our latest report points to renewed growth, reflecting increased confidence and investment across the industry.
For employers, this is encouraging news. However, a larger talent pool does not necessarily make recruitment easier.
Aerospace recruitment demand continues to increase
Hiring activity has accelerated significantly.
Our latest report identified 726 live aerospace and defence vacancies, compared with 494 in 2024 – an increase of almost 50%.
This demonstrates that although more professionals are working within the sector, demand continues to outpace supply for many specialist positions.
Businesses recruiting experienced engineers, programme leaders and technical specialists are facing increasing competition, making speed of hiring and employer branding more important than ever.
Engineering salaries continue to rise
Salary expectations have increased across many engineering disciplines since 2024.
Our comparison highlights salary growth for a number of specialist and leadership roles, including:
- Chief Engineers
- Design Managers
- Senior Systems Engineers
- Senior Hardware Engineers
- Software Engineers
- Power Electronics Engineers
- PLM Managers
For employers, regular salary benchmarking has become essential. Candidates are increasingly aware of market rates, and organisations offering competitive packages are better positioned to attract and retain experienced professionals.
Defence and advanced engineering skills are shaping the market
While traditional engineering disciplines remain fundamental to the sector, demand is increasingly shifting towards specialist aerospace and defence capabilities.
Compared with our 2024 report, the latest data highlights growing demand for skills including:
- Satellite Systems Engineering
- Avionics Integration
- Military Communications
- Engine Development
- Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE)
- Simulink
These trends reflect wider investment across defence technologies, aerospace systems and next-generation engineering programmes.
Regional aerospace hubs are evolving
The UK’s aerospace sector has always been centred around established engineering locations such as Bristol and London.
However, our latest report highlights strong growth in emerging regional clusters, including:
- Helensburgh
- Solihull
- Cambridge
As major programmes continue to expand, employers are increasingly competing for talent outside traditional aerospace locations.
Employees are staying longer
One particularly positive trend is workforce stability.
Median employee tenure has increased from 1.8 years in our previous report to 2.3 years in 2026.
Longer tenure suggests employers are becoming more successful at retaining experienced professionals. However, when skilled engineers do enter the market, competition for their expertise remains extremely strong.
What hasn’t changed?
Despite significant market growth, several long-term trends remain consistent.
The aerospace and defence workforce continues to be predominantly male, highlighting the ongoing opportunity to attract more diverse talent into engineering careers.
Core disciplines such as Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering also remain at the heart of the industry’s recruitment requirements.
What does this mean for employers?
Our comparison between 2024 and 2026 paints a clear picture.
The UK aerospace recruitment market is:
- Growing again after a period of decline.
- Creating significantly more engineering opportunities.
- Seeing continued salary growth.
- Increasing demand for specialist aerospace and defence skills.
- Becoming more competitive for employers recruiting experienced engineers.
For organisations planning recruitment during the next 12–24 months, understanding these trends will be essential to attracting the right talent.
Download the full report
Want to explore the data in more detail?
Our latest Engineering & Design Talent Insights Report – Defence & Aerospace 2026 includes salary benchmarks, talent pool analysis, hiring trends, regional hotspots and the technical skills shaping the future of the industry.
The report is completely free to download – simply click, download and start reading.
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