Where Do European Scientists and Engineers Live and Work?

According to the latest figures released by Eurostat and CERN, the number of European scientists and engineers in all countries across the continent—including the UK—reached approximately 17.5 million in 2021. Post-Brexit, statistics show that this number has remained at a similar level, with the number of scientists and engineers increasing in all EU member states except Lithuania. Similar increases have been seen in the UK, too.

But where are the majority of these scientists living and working? 

In this article, we’ll delve into the state of engineering and life science jobs in Europe. Additionally, we’ll hear from two of our expert consultants based in each nation to gain insight into the outlook of recruitment in each region. Finally, we’ll examine gender diversity within the life sciences and engineering in Europe.

EU science and engineering in the UK and Germany

With Germany and the UK boasting the greatest concentration of engineers and scientists across the European continent, the number of professionals working in these sectors reflects the strong heritage in manufacturing, engineering and research each nation possesses. 

Based on the Eurostat data, the UK and Germany lead the pack, home to 33% of the total population of science and engineering professionals aged between 25 and 64, despite accounting for only 29% of the European continent’s total population. 

However, does this relatively high concentration of engineers and scientists leave these roles vulnerable to downturns in demands for manufactured products and job openings?

We spoke with one of our expert recruitment consultants in each country to understand their professional opinion on the Eurostat/CERN findings and their anticipations of the market outlook for science engineering in Europe over the next few years. 

The UK: a hotbed for engineering in Europe

Regarding the outlook on the future of engineering in the UK, we spoke to Amy Steel, Director of Renewable Energy for EMEA and North America at Coalesce Management Consulting. Amy notes that there is no softening of demand within the country’s engineering sector, stating: 

"Despite announcements from some of the UK’s car manufacturing giants about reduced output, we are still seeing strong demand across all sectors within the engineering job market within the UK.

What we have seen is an increased reliance on contract and freelance employment in the sector as employers look to increase their flexibility and meet new project demands and challenges over the coming months and years. 

Often, contractors are seen as a less risky option by employers and project managers compared to permanent employees. We are seeing attractive rates on offer, too, for suitably qualified candidates."

With the Engineering Council stating that 18% of the UK’s working population is employed in the engineering field, many of the world’s largest corporations are either based in the UK or have national offices within the country. Most of these organisations are household names, for example: 

• Airbus
• Aston Martin
• Babcock
• BAE Systems
• BMW
• British Airways
• Dyson
• Jaguar Land Rover
• Mercedes
• Network Rail
• Nissan
• Rolls Royce
• Siemens
• Thales Group

There are also a vast number of SMEs which employ the majority of graduates and chartered engineers in the UK. Despite a skills shortage, the engineering sector remains buoyant in the country, with experts in civil, mechanical, aerospace, defence and electrical engineering commanding some of the highest salaries in the country. 

Amy continues: 

“The figures shown from the Eurostat surveys highlight the rich heritage that the UK has within the engineering and scientific communities, and the global role that the country plays in the research and development of innovations and solutions to the increasing demands of a modern society.”

Similarly, the life sciences sector is one in which the UK is a global leader. In a policy paper published by the Board of Trade, the country is third in the world for investment in life sciences companies. 

Furthermore, from the perspective of research, two of the top three ranked universities in Europe are located in the UK, with these research institutions attracting talent from around the world to study and create the medical devices and pharmaceutical products of the future.

Medicinal and pharmaceutical manufacturing places in the top three for exports from the UK, with products from the country holding a strong global reputation. The life sciences market has increased twelvefold over the last decade, representing the field's largest market in the European continent.

Germany: leading engineering and life science jobs in Europe

Engineering and scientific research and development represent two of the most significant pillars of the German economy, the largest in the EU. Revenue in professional scientific and technical activities is anticipated to reach almost $466bn in 2023 alone, with the country in second place for scientific research and development over the year, only outranked by the UK. 

Germany remains the third most popular destination in the world for academic studies in the sciences, behind the United States and the UK. Several German cities are hubs of advanced engineering and scientific research and development, including: 

Many of the world’s leading life sciences and biotech companies are based in Germany, such as: 

• Bayer AG 
• BioNTech
• Biogen
• Merck

There are also many large enterprises offering some of the most cutting-edge EU engineering jobs, including: 

• Arup

• Ensinger Group

• Kapp Niles

• Robert Bosch GmbH

Across several sub-sectors, Germany offers some of the highest salaries in the EU for engineering jobs. Engineers are particularly in demand in the areas impacted most by the global skills shortage, particularly in the areas of automotive engineering, civil engineering and renewable energy.

In 2022, engineering job vacancies reached a record high of 171,300. Engineers can attract a significant premium in such an environment, leveraging demand to their benefit. This is particularly true if they’re mechanical, industrial or electrical engineering experts.

We spoke with the leader of the EU engineering jobs team at our Köln-based office, Matthias Günther, to ascertain his outlook on the scientific and engineering sectors in the country: 

“The results from the Eurostat survey don’t surprise me. We know that Germany is one of Europe's driving forces for engineering and life science jobs. 

Despite the uncertainty within some markets, we’re still seeing a high level of demand across the board for engineering candidates, which bodes well for future recruitment requirements and for people just starting out in their careers. We’re experiencing a shortage of candidates with the specialist skills and work history which are required for roles within the engineering sector, which is adding to this demand.”

As Germany’s economic outlook over 2023 begins to look brighter—with a 0.2% overall expansion rather than the contraction initially feared due to ongoing geopolitical tensions—the life sciences and engineering sector will lead the way in investment and revenue. 

Salaries for skilled workers remain high, and the country’s well-developed infrastructure will allow companies to begin operations in many cities outside the traditional hubs we discussed earlier, meaning that Germany will lead the way with engineering and life science jobs in Europe.

Matthias continues, saying:

“We’re seeing a number of experienced candidates leaving the EU engineering jobs market due to retirement, and the overall supply of equally qualified engineers is barely keeping up with the demands of the sector.”

With German universities attracting students from all over the world to study in their prestigious artificial intelligence doctoral programmes and world-leading master’s degrees in engineering, there may well be an influx of fresh candidates ready to enter the nation’s scientific and engineering organisations. 

Whilst there is a level of uncertainty as to what the future might hold for Europe over the coming months and years, it is clear that Germany looks well-placed to meet the challenges within the engineering and scientific sectors and the demands of its society.

European scientists and engineers at the forefront of DE&I

Based on Eurostat’s data, gender diversity and inclusion are growing within the engineering and scientific sectors in the EU. 

Of all the European scientists and engineers in 2021, 41% were women, an increase of 7% over the last decade. In addition, several states had more female engineers and scientists than males. Denmark, Lithuania, Norway and Portugal lead, with 52% of their engineering and scientific workforce comprised of women. 

Despite this, women remain strongly underrepresented in the manufacturing field in the EU, with only 21% of the manufacturing workforce being women. On the other hand, the services sector is almost evenly split, with 46% of scientists and engineers in these industries being women. 

Germany ranks 32nd on the list of 35 nations, with 33% of its scientific and engineering workforce being women, whilst the UK comes in at number 25 with 40%.

Science and engineering are thoroughly driven by innovation, and promoting diversity within the workplace is a crucial piece of this transformative puzzle. In a report authored by Deloitte, 83% of employees who feel that their organisations encourage diversity also feel enabled in their abilities to innovate.

From a financial point of view, championing diversity makes sense too. In a report helmed by Boston Consulting Group, diverse teams have been found to have 19% higher revenue. Similarly, organisations in which women form a quarter or more of management and executive teams have been found to have significantly increased share prices over the last decade in comparison to their less-diverse competitors.

With diversity and inclusion being solid indicators of competitiveness and creativity, several projects are looking to reduce the gender gap in the EU science and engineering sectors. 

From the Scientix scheme, which seeks to promote collaborations between European scientists, to EQUALS-EU, an incubator for female-led startups in engineering and the life sciences, many European engineers and scientists will be able to support community-driven increases in gender diversity in their fields.