Published Wednesday 15 July 2026 · By the JustEng team
Welcome to Wednesday’s briefing. Today: the Lower Thames Crossing orders Europe’s largest ever tunnelling machine, Glenigan’s July index confirms a bruising second quarter, ministers wave through another 1.2 GW of solar, and insolvency pressure keeps moving down the supply chain — and what each story means for engineering recruitment and vacancies across the UK.
Lower Thames Crossing orders Europe’s largest tunnelling machine
National Highways has commissioned German manufacturer Herrenknecht to build the giant tunnel boring machine that will drive the Lower Thames Crossing under the river, with tunnelling due to begin near the Port of Tilbury in 2028. Herrenknecht previously built machines for the Elizabeth Line, Silvertown Tunnel, HS2 and Thames Tideway, and the project has just been upgraded from Amber to Green in the latest government delivery review (Your Thurrock).
Hiring angle: A confirmed tunnelling programme on this scale anchors years of civil engineering vacancies across Essex and Kent, and candidate demand for tunnel, geotechnical and site engineers will build well before the machine arrives — employers who start hiring early will face far less competition for scarce specialists.
Civil engineering starts fall 45% as recovery is pushed to 2027
Glenigan’s July Construction Index makes sober reading: the value of work starting on site fell 15% in the second quarter and sits 38% below 2025 levels, with civil engineering starts down 19% on the previous quarter and 45% year on year. Glenigan’s summer forecast now pushes the sector’s recovery back to 2027, though offices, education and healthcare continue to outperform (Construction Magazine).
Hiring angle: Downturns concentrate hiring into the resilient sectors, but the underlying talent shortage has not eased — engineers released by stalled schemes are absorbed quickly, and salaries are holding firm, as our structural engineer salary guide shows. Firms that keep recruiting through the dip will be best placed when starts recover.
Solar approvals set to lift civil engineering vacancies
The government has confirmed its planning overhaul under the Planning and Infrastructure Act, saying 41 nationally significant projects had been determined by early July — 95% more than at the same point in the last Parliament (GOV.UK). Fresh development consent orders include the 740 MW One Earth Solar Park near Lincoln, the 320 MW Peartree Hill scheme in East Yorkshire and the 150 MW Dean Moor project in West Cumbria (Enerdata).
Hiring angle: Each consented solar park translates into engineering jobs UK employers must fill fast — civil and geotechnical designers, grid connection engineers and project engineers — and renewables developers are increasingly turning to a specialist recruitment agency to reach candidates the job boards miss.
Supply-chain distress: Zentia in administration, Agetur files notice
Ceiling systems manufacturer Zentia has entered administration with the loss of around 170 jobs, while groundworks and housing civils contractor Agetur has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators after a £660,000 loss. Construction firms account for roughly 17% of all insolvencies in England and Wales so far in 2026 (PBC Today).
Hiring angle: Insolvencies release experienced engineers and managers into the market at short notice — a rare chance for stable employers to secure hard-to-find people, from groundworks engineers to structural engineering professionals. Candidates affected can browse live engineering vacancies with us today.
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