In 2024, the know-how sector noticed but extra layoffs after huge cuts in 2022 and 2023. Although the tempo was considerably slower final yr, greater than 150,000 staff have been laid off throughout lots of of firms, in line with Layoffs.fyi, a website began through the COVID-19 pandemic to trace tech layoffs around the globe. 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 workforce. To begin the brand new yr, in January 2025, tech firms 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 high-quality. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is predicted to develop 9 p.c from 2023 to 2033, in contrast with 4 p.c for all occupations, in line 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 lately, the World Financial Discussion board’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, primarily based on 2024 knowledge, 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 firms proceed to restructure, extremely expert tech consultants stay in demand.
Tech Expertise In Demand
The Way forward for Jobs Report additionally checked out abilities that employers throughout all industries contemplate necessary. It discovered the largest enhance in three classes of know-how abilities: AI and massive knowledge abilities, networks and cybersecurity, and know-how literacy.
The sectors of telecommunication and automotive and aerospace are notably desirous about AI and massive knowledge abilities; 100% of companies surveyed in these fields stated these abilities will develop in significance over the following 5 years.
Given these anticipated modifications, 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 abilities are additionally anticipated to rise in significance and complement know-how experience. It is going to be important for staff to be able to artistic pondering, resilience, flexibility, and lifelong learning.
In truth, many firms at the moment have a look at nontechnical skills when hiring new engineers, says Julia Lapan, assistant dean for profession improvement on the College of Virginia College of Engineering & Utilized Science. Whereas technical know-how is necessary for younger engineers, “the underside line is, as soon as college students get out into the working world, they’re going to must constantly be taught,” Lapan says. “All of us must be prepared to adapt.”
An Engineering Recruiter’s View
Though many firms have scaled again on hiring basically, the job market for electrical engineers within the United States stays aggressive, says George Santos, the managing director of the Naperville, Sick.–primarily based recruiting agency 180 Engineering. “It’s time to be an engineer,” he says.
In Santos’s expertise, recently 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 entails 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 vitality sectors as properly.
In accordance with surveyed employers, tech experience—reminiscent of the primary three rows—tops the record of abilities anticipated to extend in significance over the following 5 years.
In accordance with the BLS, demand for electrical and electronics engineers in semiconductor manufacturing is predicted to develop by 15 p.c from 2023 to 2033—and the semiconductor industry pays its EEs properly, with a median annual wage of nearly $145,000. The BLS additionally initiatives that demand for EEs in photo voltaic and wind electric power era will develop considerably over the identical time interval, although they continue to be a small portion of general employment.
Discovering a specialization may also help new engineers get forward, Santos provides. “It’s going to make you extra helpful available in the market.” 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 more likely to discover jobs in 2025: at dwelling.
Nearly 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic made remote work ubiquitous, many tech firms 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 a minimum of three days within the workplace every week.
The U.S. authorities has additionally adopted swimsuit, 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 have been employed by the federal authorities.
The push for in-person work, meant to extend productiveness, is unpopular with many staff. In truth, these mandates might trigger high expertise to go away—a development already being seen at some highly effective tech firms.
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