Job fulfilment, in engineering jobs as in any other job, is often cited as the key towards overall workplace success. When workers feel fulfilled in their roles, they are more likely to make positive contributions to their employers and their working operations. However, not everyone can say they are actually satisfied in their roles. In fact, the United Kingdom has one of the lowest job fulfilment rates across Europe. The need for fulfilment can therefore be described as its greatest when discussing the British workforce. How do engineers feel about their jobs?
National trends
The United Kingdom has a job fulfilment rate of 62%. Of this figure, those in East Anglia, Wales, and Scotland more commonly report that they feel unfulfilled in their positions on a whole. However, the story is not so grim for engineers where 66% of workers report that they feel job fulfilment in their roles – four percent above the national rate.
This is positive news for the country's engineers, who are more likely to have a positive impression of their role, but the issue is not as clear-cut since regional trends greatly influence this. More respondents felt fulfilment when they were employed in the North East of England, which was closely followed by the East Midlands and the South East outside of London – Londoners typically feel quite indifferent to their roles.
More factors affecting fulfilment in engineering jobs
Age
It is seemingly easy for the British to feel their most fulfilled at the beginning of their careers and this is quite understandable. When engineers are first starting out in their roles, then there is a sort of excitement that follows them as they are about to embark on a new period in their lives. However, this excitement soon tapers and engineers typically find themselves feeling very indifferent towards their roles throughout the middle of their professional lives before a slight boost in fulfilment towards the end of their careers.
It has also been revealed that women tend to fare slightly better during this mid-career hump than men, with female respondents between 35 and 44 more inclined to feel positive about their careers in comparison to men who experience a very drastic slump.
Academic matters
Engineers who take the time to progress the academic ladder by acquiring more advanced level qualifications through to postgraduate level tend to feel far more fulfilled in their roles, which likely reflect the greater level of responsibilities that are afforded to them due to this educational boost. However, this is by no means a national certainty. Those with just the entry-level requirements in order to get involved in engineering typically feel fulfilled in line with national trends and engineers tend to fare very well in this regard.
Those who take on postgraduate education are more likely to reach consultancy positions, which are typically very rewarding for engineers who work on a more “freelance” basis. They are also likely to be paid more, which is in direct correlation with the level of fulfilment workers experience in the United Kingdom.
