Roland Bruce Shares Insights on Engineering Staffing in Industry Report

Engineering staffing is showing notable resilience as demand remains strong across infrastructure, energy and data center projects, even amid ongoing global uncertainty. 

This trend is highlighted in Staffing Industry Analysts’ (SIA) Q1 2026 Engineering Staffing Report, in the article “Engineering staffing is outperforming the overall industry” authored by SIA Senior Research Analyst Amy Horvat. The report explores how engineering continues to outpace the broader staffing sectors, leading growth year-on-year.

Roland Bruce, Managing Director, Americas at NES Fircroft, was cited in the article, sharing his perspective on current operator behavior and energy market stability, particularly around oil & gas:

“US operators are no longer reacting aggressively to short-term price spikes,” Bruce said to SIA. “Current indications suggest that while higher oil prices may improve operator cash flow in the near term, overall rig counts are likely to remain relatively steady.” 

He added that “if instability persists, it’s reasonable to expect global energy companies to tilt more of their long-term strategy back toward North America in pursuit of stability, security and predictable growth.”

These insights reinforce the view that sustained, long-term investment, especially in North America, is supporting engineering hiring demand despite wider market conditions, positioning the sector as a key space to watch as confidence gradually improves.

You can read the full article on the Staffing Industry Analysts website here.