Significant Points

  • Overall job opportunities in engineering are expected to be good, but will vary by specialty.
  • A bachelor’s degree is required for most entry-level jobs.
  • Starting salaries are significantly higher than those of college graduates in other fields.
  • Continuing education is critical for engineers wishing to enhance their value to employers as technology evolves.

Nature of the Work

Engineers apply the principles of science and mathematics to develop economical solutions to technical problems. Their work is the link between perceived social needs and commercial applications.

Employment Facts for Engineers: Engineers held 1.4 million jobs in 2004 *. The distribution of employment by engineering specialty is as follows:

Total, all engineers
1,449,000
100%
Civil
237,000
16.4
Mechanical
226,000
15.6
Industrial
177,000
12.2
Electrical
156,000
10.8
Electronics, except computer
143,000
9.9
Computer hardware
77,000
5.3
Aerospace
76,000
5.2
Environmental
49,000
3.4
Chemical
31,000
2.1
Health and safety, except mining safety
27,000
1.8
Materials
21,000
1.5
Nuclear
17,000
1.2
Petroleum
16,000
1.1
Biomedical
9,700
0.7
Marine engineers and naval architects
6,800
0.5
Mining and geological, including mining safety
5,200
0.4
Agricultural
3,400
0.2
All other engineers
172,000
11.8


Table 1. Percent concentration of engineering specialty employment in key industries, 2004

Specialty
Industry
Percent

Aerospace
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing
59.6

Agricultural
State and local government
22.6

Biomedical
Scientific research and development services
18.7

Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing
15.6

Chemical
Chemical manufacturing
27.8

Architectural, engineering, and related services
16.3

Civil
Architectural, engineering, and related services
46.0

Computer hardware
Computer and electronic product manufacturing
43.2

Computer systems design and related services
15.0

Electrical
Architectural, engineering, and related services
19.6

Navigational, measuring,
10.8

Electronics, except computer
Telecommunications
17.5

Federal government
14.4

Environmental
Architectural, engineering, and related services
28.9

State and local government
19.6

Health and safety,

State and local government
12.4

Industrial
Machinery manufacturing
7.8

Motor vehicle parts manufacturing
7.1

Marine engineers

Architectural, engineering, and related services
34.5

Materials
Computer and electronic product manufacturing
14.3

Mechanical
Architectural, engineering, and related services
18.1

Machinery manufacturing
13.4

Mining and geological,

Mining
49.9

Nuclear
Electric power generation,
36.1

Petroleum
Oil and gas extraction
47.4



 

The following section discusses job outlook by engineering specialty.

  • Aerospace engineers are expected to have slower-than-average growth in employment over the projection period.

  • Agricultural engineers are expected to have employment growth about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Biomedical engineers are expected to have employment growth that is much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Chemical engineers are expected to have employment growth about as fast as the average for all occupations though 2014.

  • Civil engineers are expected to see average employment growth through 2014.

  • Computer hardware engineers are expected to have average employment growth through 2014.

  • Electrical engineers should have favorable employment opportunities. The number of job openings resulting from employment growth and from the need to replace electrical engineers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force is expected to be in rough balance with the supply of graduates. Employment of electrical engineers is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Electronics engineers, except computer, should have good job opportunities, and employment is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Environmental engineers should have favorable job opportunities. Employment of environmental engineers is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors, are projected to experience average employment growth through 2014.

  • Industrial engineers are expected to have employment growth about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Marine engineers and naval architects likely will experience employment growth that is slower than the average for all occupations.

  • Materials engineers are expected to have employment growth about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Mechanical engineers are projected to have an average rate of employment growth through 2014.

  • Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers, are expected to have good employment opportunities, despite a projected decline in employment.

  • Nuclear engineers are expected to have good opportunities because the small number of nuclear engineering graduates is likely to be in rough balance with the number of job openings. Employment of nuclear engineers is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations through 2014.

  • Petroleum engineers are expected to have a decline in employment through 2014 because most of the potential petroleum-producing areas in the United States already have been explored.

Earnings for engineers vary significantly by specialty, industry, and education. Even so, as a group, engineers earn some of the highest average starting salaries among those holding bachelor’s degrees. The following tabulation shows average starting salary offers for engineers, according to a 2005 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Specialty
10%
25%
50%
75%
90%
Aerospace
$52,820
$64,380
$79,100
$94,900
$113,520
Agricultural
37,680
43,270
56,520
77,740
90,410
Biomedical
41,260
51,620
67,690
86,400
107,530
Chemical
49,030
60,920
76,770
94,740
115,180
Civil
42,610
51,430
64,230
79,920
94,660
Computer hardware
50,490
63,730
81,150
102,100
123,560
Electrical
47,310
57,540
71,610
88,400
108,070
Electronics, except computer
49,120
60,280
75,770
92,870
112,200
Environmental
40,620
50,740
66,480
83,690
100,050
Health and safety, except mining safety
39,930
49,900
63,730
79,500
92,870
Industrial
42,450
52,210
65,020
79,830
93,950
Marine engineers and naval architects
43,790
54,530
72,040
89,900
109,190
Materials
44,130
53,510
67,110
83,830
101,120
Mechanical
43,900
53,070
66,320
82,380
97,850
Mining and geological, including mining safety
39,700
50,500
64,690
83,050
103,790
Nuclear
61,790
73,340
84,880
100,220
118,870
Petroleum
48,260
65,350
88,500
113,180
140,800

In the Federal Government, mean annual salaries for engineers ranged from $100,059 in ceramic engineering to $70,086 in agricultural engineering in 2005.

Citation:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Engineers , on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ ocos027.htm (visited May 14, 2007).

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