What are today’s issues with motorsport recruitment?

Recruitment in motorsport is very competitive, and most companies rely on their own recruitment process to find candidates but with minimal success. 

Other companies use generic job boards such as Indeed, which will give companies plenty of job applications but with very little chance of actually finding the perfect candidate.

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Is there a shortage of engineers?

“The issues within recruitment in motorsport have not varied over the years,” says the MIA’s CEO Chris Aylett. “As far as the engineering side of the industry goes, there is an insatiable appetite for the best engineers at many levels. 

“There has been an ongoing weakness in the number of applicants with the correct qualifications in CNC processes, and that is a long-standing difficulty, but so is the overall shortage of engineers coming out of university in the UK.”

With a shortage of engineers leaving university, teams have begun to look further afield, but a lack of global recruitment sites has limited companies finding their ideal candidate.

The UK motorsport sector continues to attract candidates from all over the world, with the world famous Motorsport Valley in particular, bringing in engineering talent. 

Aylett adds: “The industry relies on free access to the best talent from any country of the world, including many of the EU 27 states, and it is hoped that access to talented people in those countries, and the reverse for UK talent, will be recognised by the politicians and the future secured for them.”

How can motorsport recruitment improve?

Motorsport recruitment online platforms have been relatively poor, and there is only a handful of specialist recruitment sites that work within the motorsport sector.

“I would say that the online activity for recruitment in motorsport of good quality people has been relatively poorly served over the past decade, with a few exceptions of course,” says Aylett. “There are some excellent recruitment agencies that have correctly built and excellent reputation, but I am sure it is possible to improve the online activity for motorsport recruitment.”

Specialist recruitment sites, such as Motorsport Jobs concentrate solely on the motorsport market, working alongside Autosport and Motorsport.com to attract extremely talented individuals who can work in motorsport.

A strong recruitment platform will give candidates and companies reassurance that they will find the perfect match.

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images

What is the future for motorsport recruitment?

“Recruitment in motorsport in the UK will continue to be strong as the industry grows at an average of over 5% in sales every year,” says Aylett. 

“As this is an industry that does not look to the future in mass manufacturing and the use of robotics to create volume, it will always be one that has a demand for individual, innovative, hands-on engineering and mechanical skills.”

Motorsports will always rely on skilled individuals in every area. And as such a specialist market, it continually needs to attract technically talented people that will ultimately move the industry forward.