Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of potential changes in the retention of (a) engineering and (b) technical specialists.

We remain committed to strengthening recruitment and retention across the Armed Forces through a range of targeted initiatives and measures. We continually monitor retention and review the overall offer, and recent data shows encouraging progress. For the first time since early 2021, intake now exceeds outflow. In the 12 months to 1 October 2025, the number of people joining the Armed Forces increased by 13% compared to the previous year, while departures fell by 8%. Applications also continue to rise.

Recruiting for certain specialist or technical skills — such as cyber, digital, healthcare, medical, and engineering — remains challenging due to strong competition in the wider labour market. To address this, we are implementing actions to improve retention, including more flexible terms of service, a modernised allowance system, bespoke pay spines, skills payments, Targeted Financial Retention Incentives (FRIs) and a pilot ‘total reward’ approach for engineers.

Recent changes include FRIs for engineers and targeted skills payments for cyber and engineering roles. Early feedback from our pay supplement trial for critical engineering skills indicates a 53% increase in intention to remain – an encouraging sign, though we recognise more work is needed. Further, the Perceived Value of the Offer survey piloted with engineers in 2024 was expanded this year to all Regular personnel. This evidence will inform future reward policies and interventions, ensuring they reflect what personnel value most, thus strengthening retention across the Services, particularly in critical engineering and technical roles.