WSP is aiming to recruit 2,000 people across the UK and Ireland in 2022, including over 400 opportunities available for graduates and apprentices.

The firm currently employs over 7,000 people across the UK and Ireland and supports public and private sector clients on landmark projects, including HS2 stations such as Old Oak Common and Curzon Street, 22 Bishopsgate in London and National Highways’ net zero highways plan.

2,000 new roles will be deployed across the breadth of the UK business, with expansion in specialisms including rail, water, planning, highways and building structures, and business support functions including legal, finance and marketing & communications. 

Two areas of particular growth are the firm’s Earth & Environment and Advisory Services disciplines, where roles for ecologists, climate specialists, digital specialists, economists and technical due diligence specialists will support the firm’s increasing activity in these sectors. 

350 graduate and 96 apprenticeship roles will be created this year, furthering WSP’s commitment to developing the opportunities available to early career professionals within the built and natural environment.  

Carol White, UK director of recruitment and HR operational services at WSP, said: “The ambition within WSP to recruit the best people in the industry to work on some of the UK’s most exciting projects is embodied by this significant recruitment drive. It’s truly exciting to see such investment in our business through its people, particularly when those working within the built and natural environment have vital skills to address the climate and biodiversity crises through their designs and advice.” 

Mathieu du Plooy, chief operating officer at WSP, said: “WSP has three core focus areas – our people, projects and clients. Recruiting and retaining the best people enables us to provide our clients with industry-leading designs and advice on some of the most innovative projects anywhere in the world.  

“Our new growth strategy makes WSP UK’s ambitions very clear: we intend to build on our market-leading position across a number of exciting sectors, provide opportunities for our people to work on fantastic projects, and push our ingenuity forward to become future ready together. Having the best people in the industry will support the business in delivering on these ambitions.” 

In October 2020, WSP announced its commitment to halve the carbon footprint of all designs and advice provided to clients by 2030 – a first in the engineering consultancy sector.