Given the global economic conditions last year, UK aerospace’s performance was “extraordinary”, reflecting not only an increase in revenues, but “a rise in productivity and stability within our 100,000-strong highly-skilled workforce”, A|D|S chairman Ian Godden said in a statement.

The spotlight on UK aerospace was particularly bright in recent weeks because of the biennial Farnborough International Airshow, with the 2010 event being held last month. At Farnborough, where $47bn [£31bn] of orders were placed, the civil aviation sector was the dominant force while defence orders reflected global spending cut pressures.

For employment and potential recruitment, Farnborough brought no dramatic developments yet the expectation of welcome stability.

Mark Edwards, divisional head for marine, aerospace, automotive and rail at professional and technical recruiter Matchtech Group, told Recruiter that his aviation delivery team had “bucked industry trends and remained buoyant over the past two years, hanging onto, ironically, safe defence budgets. But announcements and developments at Farnborough have vindicated our proactive shift to more balanced defence and commercial portfolio”.

Edwards characterised Matchtech’s clients’ views as “realistic optimism”. “Order books look stronger but for the short-to-medium term as opposed to long-term recovery,” he said. “And new plane orders are only funding existing engineering projects and aren’t sufficient for sustained innovation, which is a key market driver and also for our business.”

However, he added that continued developments in new and recent technologies, such as composite materials and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was creating demand for “very specific skills”.

At engineering recruiter CBSbutler, managing director David Leyshon told Recruiter his firm had received “much interest” in connection with work on UAVs, which he, along with Edwards, also highlighted as “one of the few growth areas”.

Offering a more detailed picture of his firm’s recent business wins, Leyshon said CBSbutler’s aircraft Matthew Knowles A|D|Smaintenance, repair and overhaul [MRO] division picked up manpower supply orders worth an estimated £2.1m. Further pledges of £2.6m for later in the year were obtained on the back of show meetings with clients from across Europe, “principally on the Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft”, Leyshon said.

Although CBSbutler has its headquarters in the UK, Leyshon said the location of aerospace work gained may vary. He said that design and engineer work would likely continue to be done in the UK, while MRO business is “likely to be increasingly global”. He went on to predict that greater numbers of engineers and technicians will work far afield, such as in the Far East, as the airlines increase their fleets and need licensed specialists to supervise or supplement low-cost local labour.

UK aerospace ranks number one in Europe and is second only to the US globally, according to A|D|S.