Job Offers and 3D Printing: What Are the Major Trends and Developments?

Every year, 3Dnatives takes a look back at the 3D printing job market, to find out what the major trends are for the coming years. To do this, we rely on the job offers published on our Job Board, in French, English, Spanish, Italian and German. And in 2023, there were over 650 such vacancies, 81% of them for permanent contracts. Recruitment is a long-term process, and has been for several years now, proving that companies want to consolidate their teams and are betting on a forward-looking strategy. In terms of profiles, the trend remains constant: the market is looking for technicians, operators and engineers with specific knowledge and skills. 62% of vacancies published call for this type of qualification. Last but not least, the 3D printing software sector has confirmed its place in the job market, with an increasing number of vacancies published over the last three years.

Let’s begin our analysis with something that is slightly less positive: compared to 2022, 2023 was less successful in terms of the number of job offers published (900 versus 668). It has to be said that the market has undergone upheavals in an uncertain economic and political context. Many companies implemented massive redundancy plans, curbed recruitment and preferred to consolidate their gains. As a result, supply was not as plentiful as it was after COVID. But the market remains buoyant, thanks in particular to large companies and end-users who are beginning to invest in additive manufacturing and build up dedicated clusters.

Types of contracts sought after

What Are the Most Sought-After Professions?

Once again this year, jobs in production, design and development were in the greatest demand. These are jobs that call on technical skills and generally involve hardware. Examples include 3D printer operators, production managers, machine designers, etc. The “Maintenance and Support” branch accounts for 14% of published job offers.