Engineering recruiting remains strong with more engineer job openings than qualified engineers to fill those jobs! Covid-19 hasn’t changed this.
Engineering jobs provide huge salaries and excellent benefits. That’s why more engineers need to be produced.
U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics | Jobs Gains Surge
The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today that 245,000 more new non-farm jobs were added in October. This again lowered the unemployment rate by .2% to 6.7%.
Numerous employment sectors recruited more jobs. This included Construction, which added 27,000 jobs, Healthcare added 46,000 jobs and Professional and Business Services rising by another 60,000 jobs.
Additionally, Manufacturing, had an employment increase of 27,000 jobs and Transportation & Warehousing, which was up by another 145,000 jobs.
However, the engineering field offers a lot more promise than most fields. Huge salaries and job stability are two major rewards for engineers.
Top 5 Engineering Degrees Offer Massive Salaries & Benefits
Yearly, about 200,000 students obtain a Bachelor of Engineering. Certain engineering fields offer a lot more promise than others. The top 5 most popular engineering degrees in America are:
1. Mechanical Engineering (ME)
The most popular engineering degree is mechanical engineering. With almost 50,000 undergraduate degrees awarded annually, mechanical engineering is almost twice as popular as the second field on this list.
Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering branches. It involves designing and manufacturing everything from individual components to complex, large-scale systems. The average mid-career salary for mechanical engineers is $97,654.
The future job outlook for mechanical engineers remains strong with a projected 4% growth rate from 2019 to 2029. Some of the most popular colleges for an ME include Georgia Tech, Stanford University, and the University of Michigan. That’s why engineering recruiting departments have made recruitment of mechanical engineers a top priority!
2. Electrical Engineering (EE)
In contrast to civil engineering, electrical engineering is a more recent branch of engineering. It is the subdivision of engineering that deals with electricity and electronics. It is also the second most popular engineering major, with more than 31,000 undergraduate degrees handed out each year.
The field is projected to have a 3% growth rate from 2019 to 2029. The largest employers of electrical engineers are engineering services, research and development and manufacturing industries. The average mid-career salary for this occupation is $105,789.
Schools at the top of the list for companies recruiting electrical engineering include the University of California-Berkeley, University of Texas at Austin and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
3. Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines and it involves designing and creating roads, bridges, water systems, buildings and other constructions. It’s also one of the most popular with around 22,000 students graduating each year. As the world population grows, civil engineering recruiting will continue to increase.
The job outlook for civil engineers remains strong with a projected 2% growth rate from 2019 to 2029. By mid-career, civil engineers make a median salary of around $87,000. That figure is expected to rise as more government money is committed to infrastructure development and DOT projects.
The most popular schools for companies recruiting civil engineering talent include the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California Berkeley and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
4. Computer Engineering (CE)
If you’re trying to decide whether to manage in electrical engineering or computer science, give some thought to computer engineering. This discipline uses the combined skills learned in the former two to design and develop hardware, software and hardware-software integrations.
Relative to all majors, computer engineering may seem like an uncommon path, but among engineering, this discipline is the fourth most popular with over 15,000 new graduates each year. In 2019, computer engineers had a median annual salary of $117,200.
Firms recruiting computer engineering expertise top their lists with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon. Additionally, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Tech, and the University of Michigan Ann Arbor are also popular schools for staffing professionals recruiting computer engineering candidates.
5. Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineers use math, science and other engineering skills to solve problems related to the production, storage and transportation of chemicals, food, fuel, and other products. More than 14,000 students receive undergraduate degrees in chemical engineering every year.
Chemical engineering recruiting is expected to grow 4% from 2019 to 2029. That’s slightly faster than the projected all-occupation growth rate of 3%. In 2019, the median annual salary for chemical engineers is a very respectable $108,770.
Engineering recruiting professionals single out Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University and the University of California-Berkeley among the top universities for recruiting chemical engineering talent in the country. Additionally, Georgia Tech and Caltech are also very popular.
Despite the BLS reporting another 245,000 jobs created last month, engineering recruiting is growing even faster. As a result, the engineering field remains a strong one for excellent salaries and benefits.
Call me today at 312-944-4000 to discuss how we can assist with your engineering recruiting efforts especially within highly competitive and growing fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT) and Virtual (and Augmented) Reality. Or click here for my full contact information.
