In 2024, the expertise sector noticed but extra layoffs after large cuts in 2022 and 2023. Although the tempo was considerably slower final 12 months, greater than 150,000 workers had been laid off throughout a whole bunch of corporations, in line with Layoffs.fyi, a web site began throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to trace tech layoffs world wide. The biggest single reduce got here in August, when Intel reduce 15 percent of its workforce—roughly 15,000 roles—by, for instance, consolidating its gross sales and advertising and marketing group. 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 % workforce reduce.
Regardless of these numbers, nonetheless, engineers appear to be doing simply advantageous. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is anticipated to develop 9 % from 2023 to 2033, in contrast with 4 % for all occupations, in line with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). And amongst IEEE members, the median earnings of U.S. engineers and different tech professionals was US $174,161 in 2023, up 5 % from the 12 months prior, IEEE-USA’s annual survey found in September.
Extra not too long ago, the World Financial Discussion board’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, primarily based on 2024 information, revealed that technology-related roles are the fastest-growing classes globally, with probably the most speedy development in demand anticipated for big data specialists, financial-technology engineers, AI specialists, and software developers. The report additionally predicted development in engineering fields, together with environmental and renewable energy, robotics, and electrotechnology engineering.
The upshot: Whereas many tech corporations proceed to restructure, extremely expert tech specialists stay in demand.
Tech Expertise In Demand
The Way forward for Jobs Report additionally checked out abilities that employers throughout all industries think about vital. It discovered the most important improve in three classes of expertise abilities: AI and massive information abilities, networks and cybersecurity, and expertise literacy.
The sectors of telecommunication and automotive and aerospace are notably fascinated by AI and massive information abilities; 100% of companies surveyed in these fields stated these abilities 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 % of employers in telecommunications plan to upskill and reskill their workforces, the report discovered.
On the similar time, nontechnical abilities are additionally anticipated to rise in significance and complement expertise experience. It is going to be important for staff to be able to artistic considering, resilience, flexibility, and lifelong learning.
Actually, many corporations at present have a look at nontechnical skills 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 must repeatedly study,” Lapan says. “All of us must be prepared to adapt.”
An Engineering Recruiter’s View
Though many corporations have scaled again on hiring generally, the job market for electrical engineers within the United States stays aggressive, says George Santos, the managing director of the Naperville, Ailing.–primarily based recruiting agency 180 Engineering. “It’s a great 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 smart manufacturing comes subtle equipment that includes many sensors and an abundance of data transmission. Electrical engineers will “play a vital half” in constructing and sustaining these automated techniques, says Santos, who anticipates development within the semiconductor and renewable vitality sectors as nicely.
In line with surveyed employers, tech experience—resembling the primary three rows—tops the listing of abilities 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 anticipated to develop by 15 % from 2023 to 2033—and the semiconductor industry pays its EEs nicely, with a median annual wage of nearly $145,000. The BLS additionally tasks that demand for EEs in photo voltaic and wind electric power technology will develop considerably over the identical time interval, although they continue to be a small portion of total employment.
Discovering a specialization can assist new engineers get forward, Santos provides. “It’s going to make you extra useful out there.” Having a background in one thing like power electronics or embedded firmware will make a candidate stand out. “There’s not a complete 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 dwelling.
Virtually 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic made remote 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 at the very least three days within the workplace every week.
The U.S. authorities has additionally adopted go well with, 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 had been employed by the federal authorities.
The push for in-person work, supposed to extend productiveness, is unpopular with many workers. Actually, these mandates might trigger prime expertise to go away—a pattern already being seen at some highly effective tech corporations.
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