As demand for engineering talent grows, employers will increasingly struggle to hang on to their best and brightest, according to the Focus on Engineering report released by Experis, a division of ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN).

Sixty-seven percent of engineers surveyed said they are likely to explore other job opportunities this year and 81% are confident they will land that new role. And while job hopping is on the rise, almost all the engineers, 96%, are happy with their career choice and have no plans to switch and 95% would recommend engineering to others.

Engineers are seeking new engineering job opportunities in 2017:

• Actively seeking new positions: 39%
• May look for new job/exploring what’s out there: 28%
• Intend to stay in current position: 21%
• Not likely to change positions: 12%

And they are likely to change employers in 2017:

• Intend to change employers: 33%
• On the fence about changing employers: 31%
• Intend to stay with current employer: 22%
• Not likely to change employers: 14%

Engineers also shared their top considerations when seeking a new position:

1. Salary, bonuses and/or incentives
2. Better work environment/culture
3. More interesting/challenging work
4. Improved work/life balance
5. Health benefits
6. Feeling valued/appreciated

“Engineering roles continue to rank among the most difficult jobs to fill both in the US and around the world, according to our global talent shortage survey,” said Rich Hutchings, Experis VP, engineering. “The talent crunch and ease of job hopping today means employers need to get serious about their retention strategies, and that requires a deeper understanding of what engineers really want from their jobs. From pay and office culture to work-life balance, employers cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent.”

The online survey was conducted from Jan. 20 through Jan. 30. It included 700 engineers and employers who are likely to recruit engineering talent.