Skip to content
Account is currently on credit hold. Contact Finance on 1300 888 079
SEEKemployer
HomeJobsProductsHiring AdviceMarket Insights
Home
OpenExpiredDraftCandidates
Job adsAd packs & upgradesCandidate managementTalent searchBrandingCompany reviewsGuaranteed Hire
Hiring Advice
Market Insights
Contact us
  • Attracting candidates
  • Hiring process
  • Engaging your workforce
Back

Hiring Advice

> Candidate insights > Laws of Attraction > Industry Spotlights > Engineering
    What really attracts Australian candidates

    Industry Spotlights

    Engineering

    Explore another industry
    • Accounting
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Call Centre & Customer Service
    • Community Services & Development
    • Construction
    • Data Science & Analytics
    • Digital
    • Education & Training
    • Government & Defence
    • Healthcare & Medical
    • Hospitality & Tourism
    • Human Resources & Recruitment
    • Information & Communication Technology
    • Manufacturing, Transport & Logistics
    • Marketing & Communications
    • Mining, Resources & Energy
    • Retail & Consumer Products
    • Sales
    • Science & Technology
    Download as PDF
    Share this page
    Top drivers of attraction

    1. Salary / Compensation
    2. Career / Development opportunities 
    3. Work-life balance

    Gender

    Female: 10%
    Male: 90%

    Did you know?

    Career development opportunities are highly valued, especially in-house training and mentoring programs.

    Overview

    Engineers are widely regarded as creative problem solvers, so how can employers solve their own recruitment challenges when it comes attracting the best talent? Our research shows that employers who promote a combination of factors, such as salary and compensation, career development opportunities and work-life balance, will be tapping into the top three drivers of attraction for engineering candidates.

    Salary and compensation remains the most important factor for candidates in the engineering industry (15.3%), with elements such as insurance and commission playing a more important role than in other industries. This is closely followed by career development opportunities (15.2%). In-house training, mentoring and coaching programs are highly valued and employers who offer external training programs have an opportunity to delight candidates. Meanwhile, work-life balance comes in third place (12.2%), which is the same ranking as five years ago.

    Interestingly, the top two incentives have lost some of their leading edge and, as a result, some of the less crucial factors from 2012 are now playing a more significant role. This suggests engineering candidates may see a connection between some of their key drivers of attraction. For example, if salary and career development opportunities are important to candidates, they may view a company’s reputation as a necessary factor.

    “"We want to be closer to our people, to drive their careers and put them forward for exciting new opportunities. We invest heavily in learning and development to help our people to grow and develop their technical, leadership and emotional capability, to take on new challenges and broaden their experiences by feeling both competent and confident in any situation." - Josh Murray, General Manager - Human Capital and Corporate Affairs, Laing O’Rourke

    While factors such as management are now a lower motivation for engineering candidates when considering their next move, other drivers have become more important. Location of job has shifted from seventh to sixth place while colleagues and co-workers has jumped two places from twelfth place to become the tenth driver of attraction. A professional culture is also a higher priority for engineering candidates – three in four cite it as something they are seeking, compared to two in three respondents from all other industries. 

    Employers may need to round out their employee value proposition to attract the best candidates in engineering. While salary and compensation remains the number one driver, it has lost some ground. Other factors that were once considered less important, such as company size, reputation and culture, are now getting more focus. 

    The top five drivers of attraction for engineers have remained the same in order of importance over the past five years. This suggests a relatively stable environment when it comes to communicating key employment messages.

    About this research: The data points referred to on this page are drawn from the SEEK Laws of Attraction survey. For more information about the SEEK Laws of Attraction survey and the terms and conditions governing the use of this data, click here.

    Enter the Laws of Attraction Data Lab
    Enter the Laws of Attraction Data Lab

    Discover even more about Australian candidates with our interactive and dynamic data exploration tool.

    Start exploring

    Related Content

    Revealed: What women want at workRevealed: What women want at work
    Revealed: What women want at work

    We explore what women want at work and how to attract talent.

    Listen Now
    What do men really want in the workplace?What do men really want in the workplace?
    What do men really want in the workplace?

    We look at what really drives men in the workplace and challenge stereotypes about what draws male candidates to jobs.

     

    Listen Now
    Understanding Millennials in the workplaceUnderstanding Millennials in the workplace
    Understanding Millennials in the workplace

    Millennials will form the next generation of leaders. We explore what they are looking for in their next role.

    Listen Now
    Download as PDF
    Share this page

    Subscribe to Hiring Advice

    Thanks for subscribing!

    • My primary industry is

    You can unsubscribe from emails at any time. By clicking ‘subscribe’ you agree to SEEK’s Privacy Statement

    Enter your details to download this content

    Don’t worry, we’re not fans of spam either. We’ll only ever email you with more insights on employment and recruitment, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

    Download PDF
    Please fill in the required fields. Download will commence in your browser

    Saved Advice

    Saved! We’re working on how you save the things you like. Saved advice can only be viewed on the same device you saved it on and will be lost if you clear your browser history

    Group 5 Created with Sketch.
    tour image

    Welcome to Hiring Advice

    Whether it's job ad writing, attracting candidates or interviewing, Hiring Advice is your new destination for expert advice, tools and resources to guide you through your recruitment journey.

    Find hundreds of topics to explore, with more added each week.

    About SEEK|International partners|Privacy|Protect yourself online|Terms & conditions|Contact us 1300 658 700|SEEK jobs site
    © SEEK 2019. All rights reserved.