The Controls Engineer Shortage : Why 2026 is Different
By 2026, most control system integrators would agree on one thing: the shortage of controls engineers is no longer a cyclical hiring problem, it’s a structural one.
Despite more than a decade of government and industry-led efforts to promote STEM careers, sourcing experienced automation and controls engineers has become harder, not easier. Competition for talent is intense, the pool of mid-career engineers is shrinking, and university pipelines remain misaligned with the realities of industrial control systems work.
At the same time, the scope of what a “controls engineer” is expected to do has expanded significantly. Digital transformation initiatives, IT/OT convergence, cybersecurity requirements, and the deployment of increasingly complex PLC, DCS, and SCADA architectures have raised the technical bar across nearly every industry.
As the International Society of Automation (ISA) has repeatedly highlighted, the challenge is not demand, it is preparedness. Automation projects are accelerating, but the industry is struggling to develop engineers with the hands-on skills required to design, integrate, commission, and support modern control systems in live industrial environments.
Why is it so difficult to find Controls and Automation Engineers?
Soaring Demand for Controls and Automation Engineers
Demand for controls and automation engineers has accelerated faster than almost any other engineering discipline. The global industrial automation market is forecast to exceed USD 400 billion by 2030, growing at close to 10% CAGR, driven by digitalisation, energy transition, and operational efficiency requirements.
This demand is clearly reflected in hiring activity. A comparison of job postings on Indeed USA shows that Control Systems Engineer roles significantly outnumber many traditional engineering disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering.
While job board data is not a perfect measure of labour demand, the scale of listings points to a structurally tight market. For small and mid-sized system integrators in particular, competing against large OEMs and operators for the same limited pool of candidates has become increasingly difficult.
A Small and Highly Specialised Global Talent Pool
Industrial automation sits at the intersection of multiple disciplines: control theory, electrical engineering, networking, software, and hands-on commissioning. Unlike many engineering fields, a significant portion of the required skills are not fully transferable from academic study alone.
The combination of formal engineering education and years of practical exposure to PLCs, DCS, SCADA, and live industrial environments creates a long and narrow skills pipeline. This naturally limits the size of the global talent pool and makes lateral hiring difficult.
Poor Industry Branding and Lack of Professional Identity
Despite its critical role in modern industry, automation engineering still lacks a clear professional identity outside the sector. Job titles vary widely, responsibilities are poorly understood, and the discipline is often invisible to students choosing career paths.
Even official occupational databases such as O*NET do not clearly recognise roles like Automation Engineer or Control Systems Engineer as distinct professions, despite their widespread use across industry.
This disconnect between real-world demand and public recognition continues to hinder early-stage talent attraction.
Declining University Uptake in Automation-Focused Subjects
Although STEM participation overall remains strong, students are increasingly drawn toward software, data science, and AI-focused disciplines. Degrees closely aligned with industrial automation, such as control engineering, mechatronics, and manufacturing systems, continue to see relatively low uptake.
In the United States, only a small fraction of engineering graduates specialise in industrial or manufacturing systems, despite the scale of industry demand. This imbalance further widens the gap between graduate output and employer needs.
Accelerating Skills Obsolescence
Automation technology is evolving rapidly. Over the past decade, engineers have had to adapt to virtualised control systems, edge computing, increased IT/OT convergence, and data-centric architectures.
Modern automation roles increasingly require familiarity with networks, databases, cybersecurity concepts, and data-driven applications, in addition to traditional PLC or DCS expertise. Engineers who lack access to ongoing training risk falling behind, even if they have strong foundational experience.
This creates a widening divide between engineers at the forefront of digital transformation and those working in more isolated or legacy environments.
Proprietary Technology and Siloed Competency
Despite industry initiatives promoting open systems, much of the installed automation base remains proprietary. Engineers often gain deep expertise in a single vendor ecosystem while lacking exposure to others.
This vendor lock-in fragments the workforce and makes it difficult for employers to find candidates with experience aligned to their specific control system installations. As a result, end-users often remain dependent on OEM service contracts, reinforcing the concentration of skills within a small number of organisations.
Talent Hoarding by Large Vendors and Operators
The scarcity of experienced automation engineers has led many large suppliers and operators to retain talent aggressively, even during slower periods. Long training cycles and proprietary knowledge make workforce mobility risky for both employers and employees.
Training repayment clauses and limited cross-vendor exposure further restrict the natural flow of talent through the industry, reducing overall market liquidity.
A Long and Risk-Constrained Learning Curve
Hands-on experience with live control systems remains the most valuable qualification in industrial automation. However, access to real plant environments is tightly controlled due to safety, operational, and commercial risk.
Graduate engineers often spend years building trust and competence before being allowed to work autonomously on live systems. This inherently slow progression rate limits how quickly new talent can mature into fully productive controls engineers.
How Employers Can Reduce the Impact of the Automation Skills Shortage
While the global shortage of industrial automation engineers is unlikely to disappear in the near term, employers are not without options. Control system integrators and end-users that adapt their hiring and training strategies can significantly improve their ability to attract and develop talent.
Increase Industry Visibility Through Social Engagement
Employers that actively share their engineering work tend to outperform those that rely solely on job postings. Regular engagement on professional platforms such as LinkedIn and industry publications helps position a company as technically credible and forward-looking.
Encouraging engineers to contribute articles, project insights, or lessons learned exposes the organisation to passive candidates—experienced professionals who are not actively job hunting but may be open to change if the right opportunity appears.
According to LinkedIn’s Workforce Insights, over 70% of professionals are passive candidates, reinforcing the importance of consistent brand visibility rather than reactive recruitment.
Use Targeted and Industry-Specific Candidate Search
Generalist job boards remain useful for volume hiring but are often inefficient for highly specialised automation roles. A more effective approach combines niche industry job boards, direct LinkedIn outreach, and employee referrals.
Targeted searches allow employers to engage engineers already working within relevant industries, technologies, or operational environments. While this approach requires more effort than broad job advertising, it typically results in a smaller but higher-quality candidate pool, particularly for senior or specialist roles.
Broaden Hiring Criteria to Include Transferable Skills
Rigid job specifications often eliminate strong candidates unnecessarily. Employers should focus less on exact vendor experience and more on transferable technical skills and learning capability.
Engineers with experience in adjacent platforms, commissioning roles, or end-user environments often adapt quickly due to widespread standards such as IEC 61131-3 and common industrial communication protocols.
Similarly, commissioning engineers frequently bring practical operational insight that can significantly strengthen design and engineering teams, even if they require time to adjust to office-based workflows.
Accelerate Competency Development Through Simulation
One of the most effective ways to shorten the automation learning curve is through the use of simulation-based training environments. Modern Operator Training Systems (OTS), increasingly built on digital twin technology, allow engineers to work through realistic plant scenarios without operational risk.
Originally developed for operator training, these systems are now being used to support engineer onboarding, change management rehearsals, and fault scenario testing. This approach enables new engineers to gain confidence, understand system behaviour, and practise workflows before working on live plants.
Industry bodies such as ISA and major automation suppliers consistently highlight simulation and digital twins as key enablers for workforce development in high-risk, mission-critical environments.
Conclusion
The shortage of industrial automation engineers is being driven by sustained demand growth, a constrained talent pipeline, and increasing technical complexity. While no single solution exists, employers that invest in visibility, targeted hiring, flexible skill evaluation, and structured training environments place themselves in a stronger position.
By combining smarter recruitment strategies with deliberate competency development, control system integrators can reduce hiring risk and build more resilient engineering teams for the years ahead.
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