Work Environment
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians held about 117,000 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians were as follows:
- Engineering services - 12%
- Federal government - 11%
- Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing - 10%
- Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing - 7%
- Merchant wholesalers, durable goods - 5%
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians work on teams with electrical and electronics engineers. They work in offices, laboratories, and factories because their job tasks involve both engineering theory and assembly-line production.
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians may be exposed to hazards from equipment or toxic materials, but incidents are rare if procedures are followed.
Work Schedules
Most electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians work full time. Some work day or night shifts, depending on production schedules. In the federal government, their schedules usually follow a standard workweek.
Job Outlook
Employment of electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians is projected to grow 2 percent from 2020 to 2030, slower than the average for all occupations.
Despite limited employment growth, about 11,000 openings for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Employment of these technologists and technicians in industries in which many are employed, such as manufacturing and federal government, is expected to decline. However, their employment is expected to grow in professional, scientific, and technical services firms as companies seek to contract out these services to lower costs.
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians also work closely with electrical and electronics engineers and computer hardware engineers in the computer systems design services industry. Demand is expected to be sustained by the continuing integration of computer and electronics systems, especially automation systems.
Earnings
The median annual wage for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians was $63,640 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $39,840, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $99,210.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Federal government - $76,130
- Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing - $61,500
- Engineering services - $61,180
- Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing - $60,770
- Merchant wholesalers, durable goods - $60,590
Most electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians work full time. Some work day or night shifts, depending on production schedules. In the federal government, their schedules usually follow a standard workweek.
