New research from leading job board, CV-Library, reveals the key skills that manufacturing employers are favouring right now, including the ability to adapt (69%), a willingness to upskill (47.6%) and resilience (47.6%).

The study, which surveyed 300 UK employers on the top skills they believe are most important in a potential hire right now, found that companies within the manufacturing sector are keen to see candidates excelling in the following areas:

  • Ability to adapt (69%)
  • Willingness to upskill (47.6%)
  • Resilience (47.6%)
  • Ability to change (33.3%)
  • Ability to balance work and personal life (23.8%)
  • Networking (9.5%)

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library comments: “The world of work is constantly changing, influenced by a range of factors; from technological advances and rapidly evolving jobs, to a change in employee expectations and a rise in remote working. Employers have a duty of care for their workers and with workplace stress and economic upheaval seeing no signs of disappearing, it’s no wonder that companies are prioritising candidates that can excel in these areas.”

According to the study, 85.7% of employers in the manufacturing industry say they take a proactive approach to helping their employees upskill, believing that it’s important to do so for the following reasons:

  • To retain top performing members of staff (61.9%)
  • To build an internal talent pipeline (57.1%)
  • To remain competitive against other companies (50%)
  • To develop employees careers in the company (47.6%)
  • To help overcome nationwide skills shortages (14.3%)

Biggins continues: “As human beings, it’s natural to want to feel as if we are developing in our careers and learning new skills is a huge part of this. This means employers across the industry must invest in boosting skills within their workplace: whether that’s through internal or external training or investing in new technologies.”