Manufacturing and Technical Employees keep their eyes on the job

New research has revealed that staff in the manufacturing sector are loyal to the cause, with findings suggesting they are among the most satisfied employees in the UK.

Roevin, the Engineering and Technical recruitment arm of the Adecco Group, surveyed more than 1,000 workers (more than 100 of which were from the manufacturing and technical sector) as part of a research project into the workplace behaviour of employees in listed and non-listed companies.

The research highlights how workers within the manufacturing and technical sector are significantly happier in their roles than their counterparts. Of the 1,000 workers surveyed, around half of staff working in finance, IT, retail and business services seriously considered leaving their jobs last year in contrast with just 34 per cent of workers within the manufacturing and technical sector.

A closer look at the research findings reveals the following:

Salary Satisfaction ñ Of those sectors researched, only 18 per cent of manufacturing workers were unsatisfied with their salaries, the lowest of all sectors

Career progression ñ Around 75 per cent of manufacturing employees said that they were ëcontentí, ëquite satisfiedí or ëvery satisfiedí with the career opportunities available to them, again coming out at the top of all sectors

Location, Location, Location ñ Around 70 per cent of manufacturing employees were either ësatisfiedí or ëvery satisfiedí with their physical working environments, when compared to the average of 55 per cent across other industry sectors

Moving on ñ Approximately 45 per cent of manufacturing staff recognised the turbulent nature of the job market, claiming it was now more difficult to find a better job opportunity elsewhere. A figure higher than both the financial and IT sectors, particularly interesting considering the ongoing credit crunch

Keith Gallagher, managing director of Roevin said: ìThis research is invaluable in helping to understand the manufacturing industry and more importantly those who work within it. Itís encouraging to see such high levels of satisfaction across the industry areas, and it is particularly interesting to see such high levels of satisfaction with the environment that manufacturing and technical staff work in compared to other industries. As recruitment specialists, what we do see of course is that while workers are content, they are always looking for opportunities to stretch themselves and develop their skills even furtherî.