IEEE Spectrum July, 2013 - 24

where the
JoBs Are: 2013
oPPortunities Are
oPening uP
in MAnufActuring

our years after the peak of
the financial crisis, the engineering profession continues to rebuild itself. The job growth rate
might be modest compared to prerecession
numbers, but hiring is increasing, salaries are up,
and long-term job prospects look good, most
notably in the United States but also in the BRIC
countries-Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
Not surprisingly, electrical and computer engineers are still generally in demand at high-tech
companies, consulting and finance firms, research institutions, and in government. According
to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the United States for electrical
engineers and computer engineers at the end of
2012 was 3.3 percent and 2.8 percent, respec-

jUl 2013

nORTh aMERICan

tively, compared to the general rate of 3.9 percent
for people with bachelor's degrees. (However,
there was a sharp spike-to 6.5 percent-in unemployment in the first quarter of this year for U.S.
electrical engineers, although still lower than the
record-setting level of 8.6 percent in 2009.)
The return of some manufacturing to the United
States brought with it high-paying jobs. For newly
minted computer engineers hired in manufacturing, the average starting salary was US $74 900
and for aerospace engineers, $70 700, according
to an April 2013 salary survey conducted by the
National Association of Colleges and Employers
(NACE), based in Bethlehem, Pa.
"Automotive jobs that were lost a few years
ago are making a comeback," says Richard
Zambacca, president of Randstad Engineer-

SPECTRUM.IEEE.ORG

ing, a national technical recruiting firm headquartered in Norcross, Ga. "But there are also
jobs for engineers in peripheral companies that
support the auto industry."
Zambacca also points to high demand for RF
engineers in telecommunications. And electrical engineers should consider that the natural
gas boom in the United States has created tens
of thousands of jobs, while an aging workforce
means that the power industry is desperate for
fresh talent, he says.
Hot-button areas like big data and online education are creating demand for information technologists. "Computer science grads are highly
sought this year," says Beverly Principal, associate
director of employment services at Stanford University. "Pretty much all sectors need candidates
with strong programming and Web-building skills,
whether it's nonprofit, high tech, or education."
Software developers boast significantly
higher salaries than those of other computer
science and engineering occupations, and most
jobs since the recession have been created for
software developers: Since 2010, 70 872 jobs
have been added, a growth of 7 percent.
Hiring in the BRIC countries is forecast to be
significantly higher than in other regions, according to CareerBuilder's global job forecast.
Two-thirds of employers in Brazil and India have
listed information technology as one of the top
three areas for new hires. The survey also found
that employers in the United Kingdom, Germany,
Russia, and Japan are having difficulty finding
skilled talent to fill engineering and information
technology positions.
In the U.K., strong automotive, renewable
energy, and aerospace sectors keep engineers
employed, says Paul Jackson, the chief executive of the nonprofit EngineeringUK. In addition,
he says, Europe's rail system is going through
dramatic changes and relying on more electrical
and electronic control systems, thereby creating
tech jobs. Electronics engineers in the U.K. earn
more than $70 600 on average, and electrical
engineers earn more than $69 000.
Between 2010 and 2020, British engineering companies are expected to have 865 100
job openings for those with engineering diplomas and degrees, a per-year average of
87 000. "Now we just need to attract more
young people to the field," says Jackson.
-PrAChi PAtel

dennis gAlAnte/corBis

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum July, 2013