Abstract
This developmental paper outlines some initial findings from a study on the current state of work engagement in employees of manufacturing businesses in Australia and the United Kingdom. The paper explores the relationship between work engagement, job crafting and dynamic capabilities to better understand how to drive productivity, innovation and employee retention. It provides a brief overview of the literature concerning job design/redesign approaches and required competencies for adapting to change. The study draws on survey data collected in 2025/2026 on 401 manufacturing employees, many of whom were university educated and had some supervisory responsibility. Moderate to strong positive correlations among the core concepts reinforces the need for industry, education providers and policy makers alike to prioritise non-technical skill development and support human-centred job design as a mechanism to enhance worker (and thus organisational) productivity and innovation.