Work Environment
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians held about 64,100 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of industrial engineering technologists and technicians were as follows:
- Computer and electronic product manufacturing - 19%
- Transportation equipment manufacturing - 13%
- Professional, scientific, and technical services - 10%
- Chemical manufacturing - 8%
- Machinery manufacturing - 7%
Industrial engineers usually ask industrial engineering technologists and technicians to help carry out studies and draw conclusions. Consequently, these technologists and technicians typically work at the location where products are manufactured or services are provided.
Work Schedules
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians usually work a standard schedule. Most work full time.
Job Outlook
Employment of industrial engineering technologists and technicians is projected to grow 4 percent from 2020 to 2030, slower than the average for all occupations.
Despite limited employment growth, about 6,300 openings for industrial 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
An emphasis on cost control through increased efficiency, along with industrial engineering technologists and technicians' role in assisting with automation, is expected to sustain demand somewhat for these workers.
However, overall employment growth of industrial engineering technologists and technicians in manufacturing—the industry in which most of them work—is projected to be slow.
Earnings
The median annual wage for industrial engineering technologists and technicians was $60,220 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 $37,790, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $85,530.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for industrial engineering technologists and technicians in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Chemical manufacturing - $61,740
- Professional, scientific, and technical services - $61,010
- Computer and electronic product manufacturing - $60,360
- Transportation equipment manufacturing - $60,220
- Machinery manufacturing - $59,970
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians usually work standard schedules. Most work full time.
