64 per cent of UK engineers are feeling confident about the prospects for their businesses over the course of the next 12 months, according to the results of The Engineer’s latest Business Confidence Survey.
Indeed, despite the increasingly volatile global backdrop this year’s survey – which is sponsored by software firm Dassault Systemes – pointed to a 12 per cent increase in confidence levels since The Engineer’s previous business confidence survey, which was carried out in November 2022.
Based on fieldwork carried out during November 2024 the survey, which attracted responses from 185 engineers working across a range of different sectors, found that 31 per cent of engineers are uncertain about the year ahead, whilst just five per cent are actively worried.
Asked to identify the drivers for their views on the year ahead, respondents offer a range of perspectives with those at the positive end of the spectrum citing strong order books; the opportunities created by the growing momentum behind decarbonization and a less chaotic UK government as reasons to be relatively cheerful, whilst those viewing the months ahead with more trepidation point to the global security picture and continuing difficulty finding the skilled people as their main causes for concern.
The results are explored in detail in The Engineer’s 2025 Tech Trends supplement, an annual digital supplement in which some of The Engineer’s key commercial partners offer their take on the trends and technologies that will shape and define industry over the coming months.
In this year’s supplement:
- Unipart explores efforts to strengthen the UK’s automotive supply chain
- Lucideon looks at how emerging tech is driving a gold rush for new materials
- Dassault MD Marc Overton considers the power of collaborative virtual environments
- AMRC’s Stephen Beecher looks at the digitalisation of aircraft manufacture
- Babcock’s Neil Young examines future skills requirements
- TCT’s Duncan Wood explores trends in additive manufacturing
- Analog Devices’ Fiona Treacy reflects on the power of digital manufacturing
- APC technology chief Dr Hadi Moztarzadeh looks at disruptive automotive technology trends
