In 2024, the expertise sector noticed but extra layoffs after large cuts in 2022 and 2023. Although the tempo was considerably slower final yr, greater than 150,000 staff had been laid off throughout lots of of corporations, in keeping with Layoffs.fyi, a web site began throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to trace tech layoffs all over the world. The biggest single lower got here in August, when Intel lower 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 yr, in January 2025, tech corporations introduced one other 5,000 layoffs. Greater than half of those are from Meta’s 5 p.c workforce lower.
Regardless of these numbers, nevertheless, engineers appear to be doing simply positive. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is anticipated to develop 9 p.c from 2023 to 2033, in contrast with 4 p.c for all occupations, in keeping with 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 yr prior, IEEE-USA’s annual survey found in September.
Extra just lately, the World Financial Discussion board’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, based mostly on 2024 knowledge, revealed that technology-related roles are the fastest-growing classes globally, with probably the most fast 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 Abilities In Demand
The Way forward for Jobs Report additionally checked out expertise that employers throughout all industries take into account essential. It discovered the most important enhance in three classes of expertise expertise: AI and massive knowledge expertise, networks and cybersecurity, and expertise literacy.
The sectors of telecommunication and automotive and aerospace are notably fascinated by AI and massive knowledge expertise; one hundred pc of companies surveyed in these fields stated these expertise will develop in significance over the following 5 years.
Given these anticipated adjustments, staff 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 expertise experience. It is going to be important for staff to be able to artistic considering, resilience, flexibility, and lifelong learning.
In truth, many corporations at present take a look at nontechnical skills when hiring new engineers, says Julia Lapan, assistant dean for profession growth on the College of Virginia Faculty of Engineering & Utilized Science. Whereas technical know-how is essential for younger engineers, “the underside line is, as soon as college students get out into the working world, they’re going to should repeatedly study,” Lapan says. “All of us should 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, In poor health.–based mostly recruiting agency 180 Engineering. “It’s time to be an engineer,” he says.
In Santos’s expertise, currently 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 an important half” in constructing and sustaining these automated programs, says Santos, who anticipates development within the semiconductor and renewable power sectors as nicely.
In line with surveyed employers, tech experience—akin to the primary three rows—tops the record 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 anticipated to develop by 15 p.c from 2023 to 2033—and the semiconductor industry pays its EEs nicely, with a median annual wage of nearly $145,000. The BLS additionally initiatives 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 will help new engineers get forward, Santos provides. “It’s going to make you extra helpful out there.” Having a background in one thing like power electronics or embedded firmware will make a candidate stand out. “There’s not an entire lot of these people round,” he says.
Return to Workplace
Past the industries or specialties, it’s clear the place engineers and tech staff are much less prone to discover jobs in 2025: at dwelling.
Nearly 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work ubiquitous, many tech corporations are bringing their staff again to the workplace. Amazon and Dell, for instance, now require staff to work within the workplace 5 days per week. Many others, together with Apple, Google, and Meta have taken a hybrid strategy and require no less than 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 Could 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 staff. In truth, these mandates could trigger high expertise to depart—a development already being seen at some highly effective tech corporations.
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