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 corporations, in response to Layoffs.fyi, a web site began through the COVID-19 pandemic to trace tech layoffs all over the world. The most important single lower got here in August, when Intel lower 15 % of its workforce—roughly 15,000 roles—by, for instance, consolidating its gross sales and advertising staff. To start out 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 % workforce lower.
Regardless of these numbers, nonetheless, engineers appear to be doing simply tremendous. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is anticipated to develop 9 % from 2023 to 2033, in contrast with 4 % for all occupations, in response to 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 % from the yr prior, IEEE-USA’s annual survey present in September.
Extra just lately, the World Financial Discussion board’s Way forward for Jobs Report 2025, primarily based on 2024 information, revealed that technology-related roles are the fastest-growing classes globally, with probably the most fast progress in demand anticipated for massive information specialists, financial-technology engineers, AI specialists, and software program builders. The report additionally predicted progress in engineering fields, together with environmental and renewable power, robotics, and electrotechnology engineering.
The upshot: Whereas many tech corporations proceed to restructure, extremely expert tech specialists stay in demand.
Tech Expertise In Demand
The Way forward for Jobs Report additionally checked out abilities that employers throughout all industries take into account vital. It discovered the most important enhance in three classes of know-how abilities: AI and large information abilities, networks and cybersecurity, and know-how literacy.
The sectors of telecommunication and automotive and aerospace are notably fascinated about AI and large information abilities; one hundred pc of companies surveyed in these fields stated these abilities 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 % 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 will likely be important for staff to be able to artistic pondering, resilience, flexibility, and lifelong studying.
In actual fact, many corporations at present take a look at nontechnical talents when hiring new engineers, says Julia Lapan, assistant dean for profession improvement on the College of Virginia Faculty of Engineering & Utilized Science. Whereas technical know-how is vital 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 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, Unwell.–primarily based recruiting agency 180 Engineering. “It’s a very good time to be an engineer,” he says.
In Santos’s expertise, these days there was extra demand for embedded and firmware engineers, and for these with controls or automation expertise. With the rise of good manufacturing comes refined equipment that includes many sensors and an abundance of information transmission. Electrical engineers will “play a vital half” in constructing and sustaining these automated programs, says Santos, who anticipates progress within the semiconductor and renewable power sectors as properly.
In keeping with surveyed employers, tech experience—corresponding to the primary three rows—tops the record of abilities anticipated to extend in significance over the following 5 years.
In keeping with the BLS, demand for electrical and electronics engineers in semiconductor manufacturing is anticipated to develop by 15 % from 2023 to 2033—and the semiconductor trade pays its EEs properly, with a median annual wage of almost $145,000. The BLS additionally tasks that demand for EEs in photo voltaic and wind electrical energy technology will develop considerably over the identical time interval, although they continue to be a small portion of general employment.
Discovering a specialization will help new engineers get forward, Santos provides. “It’s going to make you extra precious out there.” Having a background in one thing like energy electronics or embedded firmware will make a candidate stand out. “There’s not an entire lot of these of us 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 house.
Nearly 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic made distant 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 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, supposed to extend productiveness, is unpopular with many staff. In actual fact, these mandates might trigger prime expertise to go away—a pattern already being seen at some highly effective tech corporations.
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