A new labour market intelligence report into the impact of technological change on the ECI has been published by the ECITB. The report is based on a survey of more than 800 employers conducted by Pye Tait Consulting.

Key findings

Industry employers on technological change in their business:

• 81% of businesses expect new technology to improve efficiency.
• 65% of businesses expect improved precision.
• 55% expect new business opportunities compared with only 4% who expect reduced business opportunities.
• 42% of employers already use digital technologies, such as Big Data, Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality.
• 15% of industry employers use low carbon technologies.

On the impact on job roles:

• 9% of surveyed employers believe that technology will reduce their headcount whereas 20% predict their workforce will grow as a result of technological change in the industry.
• 62% expect technological change will see more demand for engineering-related technicians
• 59% expect to see more demand for engineering and science professionals
• 54% expect greater demand for skilled mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and electronic trades.

On challenges in adopting new technologies:

• 34% said lack of time and 30% lack of resources were the biggest challenges in adopting new technologies.
• 19% of employers said their workforce lacks the skills to adopt new technologies
• 16% of companies believe training courses are not at the cutting edge of industry needs
• 14% feel there is a lack of readily available training courses.
• 24% of employees see no challenges in adopting new technologies
• A significant minority (20%) claim new technology is not immediately relevant to their business.

The report is available to download in full here: