Addressing the engineering talent crisis
2025-11-05T01:06:20Z
engineering
As Australia embarks on one of its most ambitious industrial and infrastructure build-outs in history – an era which will be marked by major projects spanning defence, clean energy, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing – the unavoidable question is: where will the engineers needed to deliver it come from?
Brunel recently partnered with Engineers Australia to deliver a webinar titled "Addressing the Engineering Talent Crisis" which brought together voices from industry, academia and recruitment to explore how to build and secure the engineering capability needed to deliver on Australia’s national priorities.
This included:
- Querida Swinnerton, Director – ANZ, Brunel
- Charles Cattermole, Director, Australian Institute of Energy
- Karl Edgar, Talent Acquisition Lead, ASC Pty Ltd
- Professor Daryoush Habibi, Head, Centre for Green & Smart Energy Systems, Edith Cowan University
- Jenny Mitchell, General Manager Policy & Advocacy Engineers Australia
As a staffing and talent partner deeply engaged in the engineering and technical sector, Brunel was proud to engage in this dialogue, particularly given our frontline view of talent pressures. Brunel Director, ANZ Querida Swinnerton described these pressures as a ‘perfect storm’ stemming from the convergence of "massive defence investments, landmark infrastructure builds and the clean energy transition."
Missed the webinar?
Engineering demand meets workforce constraints
Demand for engineers is surging, with large-scale defence programs (submarines, naval shipbuilding), major infrastructure (transport, energy, transmission) and digital/renewables growth contributing to what will inevitably become a war for engineering talent in Australia.
The talent pool is already under pressure. Demographic change, retirements, skills mismatch and increasingly complex technical domains make building a talent pipeline increasingly difficult.
The time for long-term speculation is over. Organisations must take decisive, strategic steps today to secure the engineering talent they will need tomorrow. This means looking beyond traditional graduate pipelines and implementing immediate workforce planning
Querida Swinnerton
Director - ANZ
Immediate actions for workforce planning
Rather than defer thinking to ‘graduate pipelines’ only, the panel emphasised urgent actions now:
- Map your project pipeline: Conduct a rigorous review of upcoming projects, mapping specific talent needs 3-5 years into the future. This isn't about vague forecasts, but precise role identification.
- Identify and mitigate risk: Pinpoint the roles most vulnerable to scarcity – be it engineers with specific security clearances for defence projects or specialists in emerging fields like offshore wind or battery energy storage systems – and build robust mitigation strategies now.
- Leverage non-traditional talent: Bridge immediate gaps by tapping into the vast potential of semi-retired experts, return-to-work professionals, and those pursuing portfolio careers. These experienced individuals can provide crucial stop-gap capacity and mentorship.
Attraction and retention: what today’s engineers value
The era of competing on salary alone is over. The panel highlighted a fundamental shift in what today's engineers value, reinforcing Querida Swinnerton's point that "as tempting as it is to think higher salaries are the be-all and end-all, engineers are telling us otherwise."
- Flexibility, purpose and inclusive culture now rank alongside remuneration. Simply paying more is not a sustainable strategy when every organisation is fishing in the same pond.
- Clear career pathways and exposure to cutting-edge sectors like renewable energy and digital engineering help organisations stand out.
A compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that articulates belonging, impact and growth is essential to compete.
