In 2024, the know-how sector noticed but extra layoffs after huge cuts in 2022 and 2023. Although the tempo was considerably slower final 12 months, greater than 150,000 workers have been laid off throughout a whole bunch of corporations, in response to Layoffs.fyi, a website began through the COVID-19 pandemic to trace tech layoffs world wide. The most important single reduce got here in August, when Intel reduce 15 p.c of its workforce—roughly 15,000 roles—by, for instance, consolidating its gross sales and advertising workforce. To begin the brand new 12 months, in January 2025, tech corporations introduced one other 5,000 layoffs. Greater than half of those are from Meta’s 5 p.c workforce reduce.
Regardless of these numbers, nevertheless, engineers appear to be doing simply fantastic. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is predicted to develop 9 p.c from 2023 to 2033, in contrast with 4 p.c for all occupations, in response to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). And amongst IEEE members, the median revenue of U.S. engineers and different tech professionals was US $174,161 in 2023, up 5 p.c from the 12 months prior, IEEE-USA’s annual survey present in September.
Extra lately, the World Financial Discussion board’s Way forward for Jobs Report 2025, based mostly on 2024 information, revealed that technology-related roles are the fastest-growing classes globally, with probably the most speedy development in demand anticipated for large information specialists, financial-technology engineers, AI specialists, and software program builders. The report additionally predicted development in engineering fields, together with environmental and renewable power, robotics, and electrotechnology engineering.
The upshot: Whereas many tech corporations proceed to restructure, extremely expert tech consultants stay in demand.
Tech Expertise In Demand
The Way forward for Jobs Report additionally checked out expertise that employers throughout all industries think about vital. It discovered the largest improve in three classes of know-how expertise: AI and massive information expertise, networks and cybersecurity, and know-how literacy.
The sectors of telecommunication and automotive and aerospace are notably enthusiastic about AI and massive information expertise; 100% of companies surveyed in these fields stated these expertise will develop in significance over the following 5 years.
Given these anticipated adjustments, workers might want to obtain coaching to enhance their efficiency in present or new roles. For instance, 96 p.c of employers in telecommunications plan to upskill and reskill their workforces, the report discovered.
On the similar time, nontechnical expertise are additionally anticipated to rise in significance and complement know-how experience. It will likely be important for employees to be able to inventive considering, resilience, flexibility, and lifelong studying.
The truth is, many corporations at present take a look at nontechnical talents when hiring new engineers, says Julia Lapan, assistant dean for profession improvement on the College of Virginia Faculty of Engineering & Utilized Science. Whereas technical know-how is vital for younger engineers, “the underside line is, as soon as college students get out into the working world, they’re going to need to repeatedly be taught,” Lapan says. “All of us need to be keen to adapt.”
An Engineering Recruiter’s View
Though many corporations have scaled again on hiring on the whole, the job market for electrical engineers within the United States stays aggressive, says George Santos, the managing director of the Naperville, Sick.–based mostly recruiting agency 180 Engineering. “It’s a very good time to be an engineer,” he says.
In Santos’s expertise, these days there was extra demand for embedded and firmware engineers, and for these with controls or automation expertise. With the rise of good manufacturing comes subtle equipment that entails many sensors and an abundance of information transmission. Electrical engineers will “play a vital half” in constructing and sustaining these automated methods, says Santos, who anticipates development within the semiconductor and renewable power sectors as nicely.
In line with surveyed employers, tech experience—comparable to the primary three rows—tops the listing of expertise anticipated to extend in significance over the following 5 years.
In line with the BLS, demand for electrical and electronics engineers in semiconductor manufacturing is predicted to develop by 15 p.c from 2023 to 2033—and the semiconductor trade pays its EEs nicely, with a median annual wage of practically $145,000. The BLS additionally initiatives that demand for EEs in photo voltaic and wind electrical energy era will develop considerably over the identical time interval, although they continue to be a small portion of general employment.
Discovering a specialization might help new engineers get forward, Santos provides. “It’s going to make you extra beneficial out there.” Having a background in one thing like energy electronics or embedded firmware will make a candidate stand out. “There’s not an entire lot of these of us round,” he says.
Return to Workplace
Past the industries or specialties, it’s clear the place engineers and tech workers are much less prone to discover jobs in 2025: at residence.
Virtually 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic made distant work ubiquitous, many tech corporations are bringing their workers again to the workplace. Amazon and Dell, for instance, now require workers to work within the workplace 5 days per week. Many others, together with Apple, Google, and Meta have taken a hybrid strategy and require a minimum of three days within the workplace every week.
The U.S. authorities has additionally adopted swimsuit, with the Trump administration’s return-to-office mandate issued on the primary day of Donald Trump’s second time period as president. As of Might 2023, roughly 21,000 electrical and electronics engineers have been employed by the federal authorities.
The push for in-person work, supposed to extend productiveness, is unpopular with many workers. The truth is, these mandates could trigger high expertise to depart—a pattern already being seen at some highly effective tech corporations.
From Your Website Articles
Associated Articles Across the Internet
