Employers believe there is an upswing for engineers

Industry.Photo: pixabay.com

The engineering industry is more positive about the future. Especially, the private sector, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the construction industry will need more engineers in the coming years.

In an annual survey of the demand for engineers that is carried out by the Norwegian Society of Engineers and Technologists (NITO), 42% of the engineering employers answered that they believe the overall market for engineers will rise in the next three years, wrote Teknisk Ukeblad (TU).

Last year, by comparison, only 17% said the same.

NITO president, Trond Markussen, thinks this could be a sign that the negative trend within the engineering industry is about to turn around.

‘We see that there is a large scope of opportunity for those who are now beginning their education, and will graduate in three to five years time. They may well have more opportunities than they do today’, said Markussen.

But not all employers are equally optimistic. 16% of respondents believed that the labour market will actually become tighter over the next three years. That is still a big drop from the same survey in 2016, when 48% gave negative responses.

Almost a third of employers reported that it is difficult to get engineers with the right skills. Municipalities especially are struggling to find qualified engineers.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today