ATA Search
Recruitment and Retention Survey 2024
To keep our clients informed on industry trends, ATA Search conducted an in-depth Employers Survey, leveraging our extensive network to explore the key drivers of recruitment and retention in 2024. The survey provided valuable insights into hiring trends and the outlook for 2025.
In 2024, hiring patterns heavily focused on permanent staff, as businesses sought to invest in long-term employees to support upskilling and business growth. According to the World Economic Forum, 66% of employers surveyed on upskilling and reskilling expect a return on investment within one year, highlighting that investing in employees benefits both businesses and staff retention. This, in turn, ensures that employees remain with the company for a long time, making permanent hires more profitable.
2025 is shaping up to be a strong year for recruitment, with businesses continuing to expand their teams and maintaining their hiring plans despite new employment regulations affecting the cost of permanent recruitment.
59% of participants stated that National Insurance contributions would not affect their hiring plans in 2025.
66% said that the increase in the National Living/Minimum Wage would not impact their recruitment plans for the upcoming year.
What industry best describes the participants field?
General Engineering | 20% |
Automotive | 7% |
Aerospace | 10% |
Special Purpose Machinery | 15% |
Food | 10% |
Construction Materials Manufacturing | 7% |
Warehouse Automation | 5% |
FMCG | 10% |
Process Engineering | 7% |
Other | 10% |
What roles have been the most challenging to fill throughout 2024?
Unskilled | 5% |
Maintenance | 27% |
Design & Projects | 2% |
Controls | 5% |
Technical Sales | 2% |
Manufacturing & Production | 29% |
Quality & Continuous Improvement | 5% |
Leadership | 22% |
Other | 2% |
What do you think impacted your ability to retain employees in 2024?
High salary expectations | 25% |
Agile working demands that we are unable to offer | 6% |
Lack of progression / development opportunities | 13% |
Attracting the right calibre of candidates | 20% |
Competition | 9% |
Management / Leadership Skills | 10% |
Training | 9% |
Onboarding | 6% |
Other | 3% |
Have you explored any new approaches to your recruitment strategy in order to bridge the current skills gap?
Upskilling existing employees | 45% |
Employ forces leavers | 5% |
Utilise apprenticeships schemes | 26% |
Sponsor overseas candidates | 5% |
No new approach | 16% |
Other | 3% |
How are you predicting the increase in National Insurance Contribution to impact your levels of recruitment in 2025?
We will cut back on recruitment | 37% |
It won't change our plans | 59% |
We will recruit more contract / temporary staff | 0% |
Other | 5% |
How are you predicting the increase in National Living/Minimum Wage to impact your levels of recruitment in 2025?
We will cut back on recruitment | 29% |
It won't change our plans | 66% |
We will recruit more contract / temporary staff | 5% |
Other | 0% |
What does this mean for businesses?
Upskilling the workforce
Our survey highlighted a strong focus on permanent recruitment in 2024, with businesses looking to continue this trend in 2025. Companies are prioritising the development and training of long-term employees, with 45% keen to invest in upskilling their workforce to promote career longevity within their organisations. It is reported that by 2030, around 90% of the UK’s existing workforce will need to upskill to meet evolving requirements. This means that providing a continuously developing workforce puts you ahead of companies that are unwilling to invest in their employees.
Employing and retaining the right people
20% of people interviewed stated that the ability to retain employees in 2024 was due to attracting the right calibre of candidates. A mismatch between the candidate and the job often leads to people leaving roles, resulting in businesses having to deal with staff shortages. To combat this, it’s important to have an in-depth interview and selection process, ensuring the business is right for the candidate and that the job is right for the individual.
If your company needs help finding the right talent, ATA is passionate about recruitment and ensuring candidates are pre-screened, with their abilities and personal characteristics thoroughly assessed. We are committed to minimising the risk of hiring the wrong person for the job.
Get in touch
If you’re interested in the findings of this survey and would like to discuss how these trends could impact your business, we’d love to help. Our expertise in Bridging The Skills Gap ensures you have the right talent in place for a successful year ahead.
In the coming weeks, we’ll also be releasing our annual Engineering Insights Report, featuring data from all the placements we’ve made throughout 2024. This comprehensive report, combined with feedback from candidates on their employment plans, reinforces our knowledge and expertise and helps you tackle the ongoing challenge of staff retention with confidence.
To find out more, contact Chris Addison, Director of ATA Search, at 07787 289 367 or christian.addison@ata-search.co.uk, or simply complete the form below.
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