Why Engineers Aren't Choosing Water Utilities (And What Utilities Can Do About It)
By Lukas Vanterpool
The water sector should be one of the most attractive places for engineers to build a career.
Few industries offer the opportunity to work on nationally significant infrastructure, solve complex technical challenges, improve environmental outcomes, and make a tangible difference to public health every single day.
At the same time, utilities across the U.S. are investing billions of dollars in infrastructure renewal, digital technologies, treatment upgrades, PFAS remediation, automation, and climate resilience. The opportunity is there.
Yet, attracting engineering talent remains one of the industry's biggest workforce challenges. The U.S. EPA continues to highlight workforce shortages, an aging workforce, and succession planning as major risks to the long-term resilience of drinking water and wastewater systems.
In my mind, the challenge isn't that there aren't enough engineers. It's that the water sector often undersells careers that already offer exactly what today's engineering candidates are looking for.
Utilities Aren't Just Competing With Other Utilities
One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that utilities believe they're competing against other water companies for talent.
They're not.
A process engineer may also be considering opportunities in pharmaceuticals. A controls engineer might be weighing up offers from advanced manufacturing. An environmental engineer could just as easily move into renewable energy, infrastructure consulting, or industrial automation.
Water utilities aren't competing within one sector; they're competing across the entire engineering market.
It doesn’t just boil down to salary either. The strongest candidates aren't simply asking who offers the highest compensation. They're asking if they'll solve interesting problems, if they'll continue developing technically, whether leadership is investing in the future, and if they'll be able to make a genuine impact.
These are all areas where the water sector has compelling answers, the problem is that they're not always communicated.
The Water Sector Has Better Stories Than It Tells
Many utilities are delivering technically fascinating work. They're replacing aging infrastructure, modernizing treatment processes, implementing digital asset management systems, expanding automation, upgrading SCADA platforms, responding to PFAS regulations, improving operational resilience, and preparing networks for the effects of climate change.
For an engineer, that's exciting work.
Yet too often the recruitment message focuses on generic statements like "competitive benefits," "great team environment," or "excellent career opportunities."
Those messages could apply to almost any employer, and engineering candidates want specificity.
They want to understand the scale of investment, the technologies they'll be working with, the problems they'll be solving and the projects they'll influence.
Increasingly, we've found that how engineering candidates evaluate career opportunities goes far beyond salary or job title. They want evidence that they're joining an organization investing in innovation, technical excellence, and long-term infrastructure resilience.
Candidate Expectations Have Changed
Engineering candidates evaluate employers very differently today than they did even five years ago.
Yes, they still care about salary and stability, but they also want purpose, technical progression, and visible investment.
According to Deloitte's 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, learning and development, meaningful work, and opportunities to grow remain among the biggest drivers of career decisions for younger professionals.
I've seen this play out repeatedly. Candidates ask about digital transformation programs. They ask about automation. Most will ask whether leadership is committed to investment, and sometimes what the organization will look like five years from now.
Very rarely do they ask how many years the utility company has existed.
That’s an important distinction because many recruitment campaigns still describe the organization far more than they describe the opportunity.
Your Hiring Process Is Part Of Your Employer Brand
Utilities often spend significant time refining job descriptions while overlooking another critical part of candidate experience: the hiring process itself.
Every interaction shapes employer reputation, so long periods without communication, multiple interview stages with little feedback, unclear decision-making, and extended approval processes, all send signals to candidates about how the organization operates.
Here’s another thing: the best engineers usually have options. If another employer demonstrates clarity, communicates well, and moves decisively, that often creates a competitive advantage long before salary negotiations begin.
5 Ways Utility Companies Can Better Attract Engineers
Utilities don't necessarily need bigger recruitment budgets; in many cases, they need better positioning.
First, lead with the engineering challenge rather than the employment package. Engineers, by their nature, are attracted by solving difficult problems.
Second, talk openly about investment. Whether it's PFAS treatment, automation, digital twins, asset management, or infrastructure renewal, explain where the organization is heading.
Third, make career progression tangible. Generic promises of development aren't enough; candidates want to understand what growth actually looks like.
Fourth, involve engineering leaders earlier in the recruitment process. Technical credibility builds confidence far more effectively than corporate messaging alone.
Finally, review recruitment through the eyes of the candidate. Every advert, interview, and communication contributes to employer reputation.
The Opportunity Is Already There
The water sector doesn't need to invent a better engineering proposition — I think it already has one.
Few industries combine public purpose, environmental impact, technical complexity, and long-term investment in quite the same way.
The challenge is making sure engineering candidates actually recognize this opportunity.
Utilities cannot modernize aging infrastructure, respond to increasing regulatory expectations, or build more resilient water systems without attracting and retaining highly capable engineers — and that starts with better recruitment practices.
The organizations that communicate the clearest vision and demonstrate meaningful technical opportunities are helping engineering candidates see not just the job they're applying for, but the career they could build.
Lukas Vanterpool is co-founder of The Sterling Choice, a specialist recruitment and workforce partner that supports organizations across the water, wastewater, utilities, food & beverage, and CPG sectors across the UK, U.S., and UAE. He works with business leaders to solve complex hiring challenges, strengthen workforce strategies, and build teams capable of thriving in fast-changing industries.