The retirement of the Baby Boomer generation and the large number of vacant positions it leaves behind are realities many industries are facing.  As these professionals continue to retire, it can be difficult to find candidates with the experience required to take their place. For the engineering sector, in particular, this can prove to be especially challenging.

According to Joe Amador, Director of The Execu|Search Group's Engineering division, it has been predicted that there will eventually be a shortage of 8 million people across the industry regardless of skillset and specialty.

"Some experts say that technology will be able to replace certain roles. However, even if that's the case, employers across the industry are still going to face a skills shortage," explains Joe.  "The engineering sector isn't facing only a skills shortage, but a generational gap.  Engineering hasn't proven to be a hot field of study in recent generations, and students are pursuing other interests."

The retirement of the Boomer generation, coupled with the decreasing number of students considering engineering as a viable career option, is creating a war on talent for employers.  "We're experiencing a very candidate-driven market, which can be considered a rarity in this day and age," says Joe. "Since the talent pool is so small, engineers are afforded the opportunity to weigh all their options, while employers have a more difficult time attracting talent."

If you can relate to this challenge or are looking for a way to prepare for the retirement of members of your workforce, what steps can you take to protect yourself from this skills shortage?

Joe suggests succession planning. "Now, before the talent shortage and skills gap worsen, is the time to focus on hiring. When doing this, it's important to not get too caught up in how much experience the candidate has."  Instead, Joe suggests that employers hire engineers who can learn from existing employees. "Your goal should be to hire candidates who can be trained by more experienced staff members, so once they retire, you'll have someone who will be immediately ready to move into their role."

Having current employees train recent hires themselves can make all the difference when it comes time for the newer employee to transition into the more demanding role. When a valuable employee retires, their loss can often be felt throughout the organization and it can sometimes be difficult to find a replacement that can meet expectations.  However, if that replacement is proactively trained by someone who completely understands the role, the transition will be easier.