The State of the 3D Printing Talent Market

Alexander Daniels Global, a recruitment company specialized in Additive Manufacturing, has just released their third edition of their Additive Manufacturing Salary Study. The report covers all aspects of the talent market in the AM industry, including in-depth salary analysis and analysis of the scarcity of talent.

The study found a 3.9% increase in average salaries (across disciplines, seniorities and locations). This reflects a similar increase compared to other traditional manufacturing and engineering jobs/industries; proof that the AM industry is finding its place in the manufacturing sector. The biggest growth in 2018 was experienced within US for Sales and Software professionals, excluding C-level management, 14.5% and 11.9% respectively. The study dives into each discipline of the AM industry and uncovers the salaries by region and seniority.

The study found, that there is a general perception amongst AM professionals, that AM salaries are competitive, compared to salaries in similar industries. 37% of the survey respondents, believe that AM salaries are competitive or very competitive. This shows a positive change in the industry, and it signals how AM employers have started to realize the importance of being competitive in salary. The study goes on with Alexander Daniels Global explaining this industry change with two major arguments: the establishment and maturity of the industry, and the war for talent.

A section of the study covers and discusses the talent gap and the war for talent that still exists in the AM industry. Alexander Daniels Global quantifies and qualifies the talent gap of the industry, with analyses on the number of available professionals versus the number of jobs; the talent market with experience and disciplines; most in-demand roles and analyses of this; and the motivations to change jobs.

According to Alexander Daniels Global, at any one point, there are 4,000+ jobs relating to Additive Manufacturing being advertised globally. They suggest that the active talent pool with experience in the industry is less than 50,000. This means that there are only 12 active candidates, globally, for every job advertised. The study goes on arguing that even though this number may seem high, it really is not, when you take into account those 12 people could be based anywhere in the World and be from any discipline. Considering these factors, the actual relevant active talent pool per job is far smaller, maybe even as low as 1 or 2 relevant active candidates per role, but even still, they are unlikely to be based in the same location as the job being advertised.

This is the third consecutive year that Alexander Daniels Global publishes the AM specific salary study. The report has been created with the help of the entire AM industry and includes sections on the talent shortage, the most in-demand roles, AM salary competitiveness, the motivations and likelihood to change jobs, and in-depth salary analysis for each discipline of AM, across regions and seniorities.

Download your free version here.

For more information or questions, contact Social Media and Marketing Manager, Signe Damgaard, at signe.damgaard@alexanderdanielsglobal.com