The Trick to Catching Young Engineering Talent

Survey reveals that young U.S. workers desire new workplace technology, and AI tops the list.

Young American workers want more technology, and AI is at the top of their wish list.

A new survey on technology in the workplace by cloud SaaS provider Yooz suggests that across industries, companies that fall behind on technological adoption risk losing out on young talent. The survey asked 600 U.S. salaried employees how they perceived workplace technology and its impact on their careers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the younger the employees, the more importance they attribute to new technology. An even 50 percent of respondents under 25 years of age agreed with the statement: “The way my industry views adopting new technology is a barrier to my career advancement.” Only 30 percent of employees 25 and older felt the same.

Which new technologies are most highly sought? When asked which workplace technology they wished they had access to in their job, 38 percent of workers under 35 years of age said AI, followed by cloud computing (35 percent), automation (29 percent), Internet of Things (29 percent), augmented and virtual reality (28 percent), and blockchain (16 percent).

AI was also the top response for all survey participants when asked which technology they believed would most significantly impact their industry if more widely adopted. AI was chosen by 23 percent of respondents, followed by cloud computing (19 percent), automation technology (15 percent), Internet of Things (15 percent), augmented and virtual reality (13 percent), and blockchain (7 percent).

(Source: 2023 Yooz Survey: Technology in the Workplace.)

(Source: 2023 Yooz Survey: Technology in the Workplace.)

Survey respondents were also asked their perception of the technological proficiency of 10 industries, providing a qualitative sense of which industries are most appealing to tech-minded job seekers. Respondents ranked the software industry most highly, and manufacturing in the middle at number five. Automotive was ranked eighth and the construction industry came in last place at number ten. Clearly the strides of these industries towards technological innovation has outpaced the perception of American workers—the auto industry recently ranked number one on ABI’s Digital Transformation Index, and the construction industry has already begun adding AI to its tool belt.

For engineers and manufacturers, the survey offers two main takeaways: one, U.S. companies may have a PR problem when it comes to attracting young talent. The high-tech sheen of the software industry appears to be blinding workers to the dirtier, but no less impressive, tech for the shop floor or construction site. A potential remedy lies in the second takeaway: however well you’ve kept pace with new technology, don’t stop now. If you provide the coolest tools to build it, they will come.

“Technology has become so central to our work-lives today that even traditionally lower-tech industries must embrace a future driven by innovations like AI and automation,” said Laurent Charpentier, CEO of Yooz. “Workers, and especially younger workers, understand this and look to employers that can best prepare them for this future. Companies that fail to invest in workplace technology or provide training risk losing young talent to competitors that are more forward-thinking and committed to innovation.”

Written by

Michael Alba

Michael is a senior editor at engineering.com. He covers computer hardware, design software, electronics, and more. Michael holds a degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Alberta.