UK Defence STEM Industry Census

SECTION 1: Role & Background

Q1. What is your current job title? *

Q2. What is your seniority level? *

Q3. Which best describes your role type? *

Q4. Which sector do you work in? *

SECTION 2: Location & Working Setup

Q5a. What town/city are you primarily based in? *

Q5b. What region are you primarily based in? *

Q6. What is your working arrangement? *On-siteHybridFully remote

SECTION 3: Salary & Compensation

Q7. What is your employment type? *PermanentContractorOther

Q7a. What is your current annual base salary (GBP)?  *

Q7b. What is your typical day rate? (GBP) *

Are you Inside or Outside of IR35? *InsideOutside

Q9. Have you received a pay rise in the last 12 months? *YesNo

Q10. (If Yes) What was the approximate increase? *<3%3–5%6–10%10%+

Q10a. Was this within your current company or after moving roles? *Existing employerNew employer

SECTION 4: Defence-Specific Insights

Q11. Do you currently hold security clearance? *NoneSCDVOther / unsure

Q11a. Has security clearance ever delayed or limited your career opportunities? *YesNoNot sure

SECTION 5: Military Background

Q12. Are you a veteran of the armed forces? *YesNo

Q13. When did you leave the forces? *Less than 2 years ago2–5 years ago5–10 years agoMore than 10 years ago

Q14. Did you transition directly into your current field? *YesNo

Q14a. What was your biggest challenge transitioning into civilian employment? *

SECTION 6: Skills & Demand

Q16. Are your skills currently in high demand in your organisation? *YesNoNot sure

AI is increasingly used in recruitment, including screening, communication and early-stage assessments. We’re interested in your experience of this.

Q16a. Have you experienced AI as part of a job application process? *YesNoNot sure

Q16b. How comfortable are you engaging with AI in the application process? *ComfortableNeutralUncomfortable

SECTION 7: Career Movement & Retention

Q18. Are you considering changing jobs in the next 12 months? *Yes, actively lookingOpen to opportunitiesNot currently

Q19. What would motivate you to move roles? *

Select up to 3

Higher salary/rateBetter work-life balanceCareer progressionMore interesting projectsFlexible / remote workingCompany culture

Q19b. Anything else influencing your decision to move? 

SECTION 8: Optional Demographics

We ask the following optional demographic questions to help build a more accurate picture of workforce trends. Responses are anonymous and reported only in aggregate.

SECTION 9: Final Insight

Q22. In your view, what is the biggest challenge facing the UK defence STEM workforce today? 

SECTION 10: Hiring Manager (Optional)

Q23. Are you a manager that has hiring responsibilities or oversees teams?YesNo

Q24. Are you planning to hire in the next 6 months?YesNo

Q26. Are you using AI or automation in your hiring process or workforce?YesNoExploring

UK Defence STEM Industry Census.

SECTION 1: Role & Background

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