What happened

Amey has confirmed plans to recruit around 600 professionals into its consulting business over the next 18 months, according to reports this summer. The campaign will target roughly 200 new hires during 2026, with roles available nationwide across technical, engineering, project delivery and specialist disciplines. Amey said the recruitment is intended to strengthen its engineering capability and support an expanding portfolio of work as clients look for delivery partners across transport, energy and nuclear. Separately, the business confirmed it will welcome a further 100 engineering graduates and apprentices in September as part of its early careers programme.

Why it matters

Most hiring stories in construction are read backwards, a contract is won and headcount follows some months later. This one is different because Amey has put a number on it ahead of the work being fully visible, which tells you the business expects the pipeline across highways renewal, energy transition and nuclear, including the supply chain feeding programmes like Sizewell C and the small modular reactor market, to keep growing through 2027. Consulting businesses do not commit to hiring at this scale speculatively. When one does, it is usually because client conversations are advanced enough that the resourcing plan has to move first.

It also matters because Amey is not alone in chasing the same pool of nuclear, energy and highways talent. Contractors across the water, rail and nuclear supply chains have been making similar noises this year, which means experienced engineers and project professionals in these markets are being courted from multiple directions at once.

What it means for your career

If you are a highways, energy or nuclear engineer, or a project delivery professional with experience in any of those sectors, this is a genuine, current vacancy pipeline rather than a hint to watch for later. Roles are open now across a broad range of technical and commercial disciplines, and the scale of the drive, 600 people over 18 months, means this is not a one-off graduate cohort but a sustained hiring programme.

For those earlier in their careers, the September intake of 100 graduates and apprentices is worth applying for directly if infrastructure consulting interests you, since a cohort that size signals genuine investment in structured development rather than a token scheme. For more experienced professionals already in highways, energy or nuclear roles elsewhere, this is also useful leverage. When multiple employers are competing publicly for the same skill sets, it is a reasonable time to test what your own market value looks like, whether that means a direct approach to Amey or simply a more informed conversation with your current employer about where you sit against a market that is visibly short of the people it needs.