The principal sub-sectors of engineering under the remit of SEMTA (the Sector Skills Council for Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies sectors) include:

• basic metals manufacture
• metal products
• mechanical equipment
• electronics
• automotive
• aerospace
• other transport
• marine
• bioscience

Engineers work across most of the major sectors of the economy, emphasising the importance of the sector to the economy.  The manufacturing sector employs most registered engineers, accounting for 40% of employment in 2003.  Across the sub-sectors

• Automotive accounts for 13% of total employment in engineering and employment is estimated to be around 197,000, but it is expected to fall to 164,000 by 2010. 
• Aerospace companies make up just 2% of all engineering firms, but account for 7% of all employees in the industry with an estimated 122,000 employees.
• The UK electronics industry is the fifth largest in the world in terms of production, comprising more than 7,500 companies employing 263,000 people. 
• Boatbuilding and leisure marine equipment manufacture is a growth sector and there are new and growing opportunities for companies to increase productivity and become more competitive.

Future trends will focus on pressures to reduce costs and improve quality.  Technological developments will continue to result in changes in working practices and in the structure of companies.

Total employment is expected to decline further over the next 10 years.  Future job losses are expected to be in skilled trades, machine operatives, elementary occupations, and administrative clerical and secretarial occupations.

78% of establishments report skills shortage vacancies in technical and practical engineering skills; 31% in communication skills; and 29% in problem solving skills.

The South West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber and the East of England tend to have the highest proportion of establishments reporting hard-to-fill and skill shortage vacancies.  London has the lowest proportion of establishments reporting vacancies.  The engineering sector is predominant in the West Midlands which has one of the lowest proportion of establishments reporting vacancies. 

90% of the workforce is full-time.  Part-time employment and self-employment are both extremely uncommon in the sector.

Women make up 21% of the total engineering workforce, but this is projected to fall to 18% by 2009.  4.5% of the engineering workforce are from minority ethnic groups, compared to 6% of all employed.  The highest proportion of workers in engineering (42%) are aged between 45-64 years.  13% of employees in engineering are classed as currently having a disability which is the same for all industry sectors.