'Skills Headaches' in 2025

When we look at the skills landscape within Clean Propulsion, it's an interesting place to be.

As with many industries the most sought after skills tend to change year-on-year, but with this being an emerging industry it's even more true in this case. So here's what we're seeing going on with skills in the space.

Emerging tech is a constant skills challenge

New technology always brings new skills challenges. After all, if something's never been done before there's not likely to be that many true experts in the field. That's why it's crucial for companies developing pioneering propulsion tech to think creatively about where they can get their skills from - rather than trying to find someone who's already done it. (Newsflash, no one has!)

Whether this is broadening your options geographically, or looking to other industries for the people they need, it can pay to think outside of the box to solve a skills shortage, rather than getting bogged down trying to find someone who's done exactly that job before.

More competition than ever

Not only do clean propulsion companies risk losing their talent to competitors in the space, they're now competing against tech giants too - and the giant salaries that come with them. These tech giants also often offer remote working, which is something we see propulsion organisations tend to steer away from due to their team-based approach (and very impressive headquarters!)

This is definitely something that can be overcome, but requires thinking about an attractive overall package to tempt the people you need away. 

Causing headaches

The biggest skills headache is when a company can't find the skills that are critical to getting their product to market. Sometimes this is the one missing piece of the puzzle, so it's critical that organisations can get people they need to achieve their goals. 

As an example, we know a company who were in the final stages of a $50 million project, but they couldn't get it to completion because of one particular, sticky skill set. Definitely the sort of stuff that causes talent teams a headache or two.

Not a bad place to be if you've got the skills…

For the people with the skills, this market isn't a bad place to be. Funding in industries outside of the automotive space is still high - like on/off highway, defence, and marine industries - so their skills are in high demand. Their current employers are often having to fight harder to keep them, and they can still command a premium should they move to a different industry.

In summary, there are still some skills gaps that need to be filled across clean propulsion. If you have these skills, then make yourself known to the industry and you could be rewarded handsomely! 

Need help finding a job in clean propulsion? Or are you a hiring manager needing assistance from industry expert recruiters to make a new hire? Reach out to me on … to arrange a chat!

Download our Clean Propulsion Industry Report here https://www.fmctalent.com/gated-blog/clean-propulsion-skills-report-2024