Engineering

In 2026, the engineering contracting sector remained predominantly constituted with males, with 81% males and 19% females, comparable with 78% males and 22% females in 2025. It is disappointing to see this slightly decline in female participation in the sector especially when awareness efforts targeted at increasing female participation continue, including Engineers Ireland’s STEPS programmes.

The average age of contractors in the engineering sector increased to 45 years in 2026, up slightly from 43 years in 2025. Despite this rise, engineering contractors remain younger than the overall contractor population, where the average age stands at 47 years.

Contractors aged under 50 accounted for 66% of the engineering contractor workforce in 2026, representing a slight decline from 69% in 2025. This may indicate a gradual shift toward an older age profile within the sector. The most notable change occurred among the 60+ age group, whose share doubled from 6% in 2025 to 12% in 2026. This sharp increase may suggest a growing presence of late-career specialists in this sector.

For education, 2026 results show that 83% contractors in this sector have achieved Bachelors or higher level of education (Bachelor’s 69%, Postgraduate 10%, PhD 4%), compared with 78% in 2025 with Bachelors level or higher (Bachelor’s 47% and Master’s 31%).

Satisfaction improved in several quality-of-life measures in 2026.Satisfaction with life in general increased from 79% in 2025 to 84% in 2026. Satisfaction with work-life balance increased significantly from 58% to 72%, and satisfaction with job location increased from 71% in 2025 to 88% in 2026. Satisfaction with remote working options was relatively stable, moving from 67% to 68% as was satisfaction with the flexibility of hours 81% in 2025 versus 80% in 2026. The slight decrease was in rate of pay satisfaction, falling from 88% to 82%, which aligns with the lower average daily rate in 2026.Satisfaction levels with career outcomes are high, with 84% satisfied with career success and 76% satisfied with the overall progress towards career goals.

84% of engineering contractors agree that their experience is in demand in the labour market, as against 90% in 2025. Engineering contractors were also positive about the availability of roles, with 60% agreeing that it would be easy for them to find another contract up, from 41% in 2025.

Engineering and technical contractors report very strong learning outcomes from their project work. Most feel that their roles actively build transferable skills and support long-term employability, even when formal training support from clients is limited.

Nearly three quarters (73%) agree that they are learning a great deal on their current project. For knowledge and skills transferability, 92% agree that the knowledge and skills gained on their current assignment will be useful for future roles, suggesting that working on engineering projects builds a valuable knowledge bank over time, with usefulness for future projects.

90% of the contractors in this sector reported that they actively manage their own skill development, while 49% reported receiving training and development support from their client organisation. This suggests that, in practice, professional development in engineering sector is largely contractor-led rather than client-driven. For autonomy, 90% agree that they have sufficient autonomy to complete assignments independently.

Looking towards the future, Engineering contractors express concerns for 2026, especially on future availability of contract work, while optimism exists towards day rates and the performance of the Irish economy.

The proportion of contractors expecting an increase in the availability of work over the next 12 months declined significantly, falling from 53% in 2025 to 31% in 2026. Over the same period, the share of respondents who believe work availability will remain the same rose from 34% to 54%, indicating a shift in sentiment from growth expectations toward a more stable outlook. Confidence in the longer-term performance of the contracting sector (over the next three to five years) has also weakened. The percentage of contractors expecting an improvement declined from 55% in 2025 to 44% in 2026, while those expecting conditions to deteriorate increased from 7% to 17%. In contrast, expectations regarding daily rates over the next 12 months have strengthened slightly. In 2026, 56% of contractors expect daily rates to increase, compared with 51% in 2025. Meanwhile, the outlook for the number of working days remains largely stable, with 81% of respondents expecting no change. Perceptions of the Irish economic outlook have improved modestly, with 33% of respondents expecting economic performance in 2026 to be stronger than in 2025.