Looking for an engineer desperate

Engineer, a more essential profession than ever before

The engineer is indeed present at all levels of the company and society and plays an essential role. This is especially the case for industry and the construction sector, which need to develop innovative solutions to meet new challenges, such as energy and environment, the fight against global warming, the use of natural resources, etc.

Some construction companies have to decline contracts because they cannot find enough qualified engineers. This structural shortage of engineers obviously has consequences for companies. If they do not have a sufficiently qualified workforce, companies cannot accept contracts, which has an impact on their sales and the growth of the country's economy in general.

These companies are looking for other solutions, for example the deployment of other scientists without an engineering degree, such as physicists and computer scientists. But that is not enough.

The importance of a well-thought-out retention policy

Many companies also suffer from a lack of retention of their engineers. The reason for this is the talent war that is rife in the labor market, where they are being addressed proactively by competing companies.

A well-thought-out retention policy is therefore crucial. We believe that salary is not the most important thing for young engineers, but that career prospects are more important to them. They also attach great importance to work-life balance.

Across borders

The shortage of engineers on the Belgian labor market stimulates companies to look beyond borders. European statistics show that the number of engineers trained and graduated annually in Belgium, calculated per million inhabitants, is at least 50% lower than in our neighboring countries (Germany, France, the Netherlands).

For example, Besix, a multidisciplinary company with a leading position in the construction and real estate development market, based in Brussels, recruits Portuguese engineers because they simply cannot find qualified candidates in Belgium.       

Encourage young people to study engineering is computer science engineering

It is therefore essential to continue to raise young people's awareness and encourage them to undertake technical studies to avoid an even more acute shortage for companies in the coming years. 

Making engineering education more attractive is imperative, according to engineers and companies, to overcome the current shortage and ensure that it does not worsen in the future. And it starts in secondary education. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) courses give young people the opportunity to enter the world of science, engineering and technology from an early age. This blended learning model aims to give students the opportunity to experience problem solving in a concrete way, as young people tend to flee from science because of its too abstract side.