Last year, we began to cover hiring trends for 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Today, we're re-evaluating demand to see how it is evolving. Looking at 4-year hiring trends, it's evident that demand for candidates with 3D printing and additive manufacturing skills continues to rise. The number of job ads requiring workers with these skills increased 1,834% in 4 years and 103% when comparing August 2014 to August 2013.
3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing 4-Year Hiring Trends
SOURCE: WANTED Analytics
3D printing and additive manufacturing skills were most sought after in engineering jobs, representing 35% of these ads posted over the past 30 days. Other occupational categories that also required candidates with this skill set were IT and management. Below are the jobs that most commonly advertised for 3D printing and additive manufacturing skills.
Most In-Demand 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing Jobs
- Industrial Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Software Developers, Applications
- Commercial and Industrial Designers
- Marketing Managers
It's interesting to see marketing along with designers, tech, and engineering jobs. Most positions require candidates to work with and create the technology, but Marketing Managers don't exactly fit into that mold. However, employers are looking for Marketing Managers to promote their company's services in 3D printing, communicate their features and benefits to their audience and market, manage partnerships, or research opportunities in this area.
Some think the future of 3D printing and additive manufacturing is in the manufacturing sector. As this technology improves, it can "make it easier and cheaper to produce specialized parts on short demand," according to Chicago Tribune . This assessment is reflected in hiring trends. Manufacturing had the highest number of job listings for 3D printing and additive manufacturing skills. Specifically, the following industries had the most demand:
- Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
- Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing
- Aluminum Sheet, Plate, and Foil Manufacturing
While demand has grown, recruiting conditions worsened. Last July, 3D printing and additive manufacturing scored a 44 on our Hiring Scale. Since then, the score increased 16 points to 60. Our Hiring Scale determines likely recruiting difficulty on a scale of 1 to 99, with 99 indicating hardest-to-recruit. While conditions on average are likely to be challenging, there are some locations employers can look to source or relocate talent from that may have less hiring difficulty. Below are the locations with the lowest Hiring Scale scores and will likely present the best overall conditions for employers.
Source: Wanted Analytics