The report called, The UK and Ireland Engineering Workforce Study, provides recommendations for employers.
The survey revealed that engineers valued challenging work above all other factors (52%), in choosing an employer. However, only 46% of respondents felt their company did a good job retaining talent and 60% of engineers left in order to advance their career and increase their pay.
Most (90%) engineers polled said they felt that organisations had a strong culture and connection with their customer base, and 86% of said they were willing to work beyond what was required to help their company succeed. Around three quarters (73%) considered their organisation to have a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
However, the survey also found that women engineers evaluated their position in the workforce as less valued and less well paid and felt less able to advance their careers than men. Around two thirds (62%) of engineers surveyed said their company did not move quickly enough from ideas to implementation.
Peter Finegold, head of education and skills at the IMechE, said: "This revealing study highlights the professionalism and dedication of the vast majority of engineers, and suggests that employers should do more to value their engineers. This means implementing policies that promote staff retention and career progression – especially among women. Managers should be recognised and rewarded for their commitment to ensuring that all employees feel valued and nurtured."
He added: "It comes as no surprise that many engineers see value in developing their people-management, interpersonal working and communication skills. Many of these skills could be developed through authentic industrial experience alongside academic training."
