3D Printing Job Market Trends in 2020

While many industries were heavily impacted by the health crisis during 2020, the field of additive manufacturing continued to grow. Companies are more confident in the technology and continue to invest in order to continue their development. But that’s not all. Other companies, from a variety of industries, have also picked up on 3D printing and are now major players in the additive manufacturing world. In particular, the emergence of these players has led to the development of new jobs, and the need for recruitment has therefore increased. But what are the main trends in the 3D printing job market?

In order to understand what the state of the job market is in the 3D printing sector, and to make a comparison with 2019, we have analyzed information from the 3Dnatives Job Board, which counts more than 350 job offers published internationally in 2020. This study covers a variety of topics such as which types of contracts are the most common, which sectors and companies are the most in demand, but also which jobs are the most sought after by companies specialized in 3D printing. It will also provide an opportunity to review the major market trends, which are constantly evolving due to the nature of the AM sector.

Companies with a long-term vision

Between fixed-term and permanent contracts, companies have made their choice. For the most part, companies are growing rapidly and wish to recruit professionals for the long term. With out of all the jobs published nearly 70% were permanent offers, there is no doubt that they are confident about the evolution of the market. A fact that sounds obvious today, but which was far from being so a few years ago. In early 2020, Audrey Chikhaoui, founder of the recruitment firm Rosa Parks Consulting, explained that many companies doubted the longevity of the 3D printing market and were unwilling to recruit for that reason. But during the health crisis, additive manufacturing showed its potential and agility. Now more serene about the evolution of the market, companies are recruiting more. As for jobs dedicated to students, such as internships and work-study programs, they make up 23.4% of published offers, a figure higher than in previous years (around 15%).