If the UK is to remain able to build world-class facilities like the Olympic Park, or equivalent international projects, more engineers and technicians are urgently needed, according to the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) annual skills survey. The research findings suggest that this year more companies are finding it difficult to recruit engineers than in 2011. If this persists, the UK economy is more likely to continue shrinking.

The survey points to a demand for new recruits but highlights that employers are struggling to find staff. Over the next year, 58 per cent of companies are planning to recruit, compared to just 36 per cent in 2011, and compared to a high of 63 per cent in 2008 before the recession.