# Are Electrical Engineers being affected more than other engineering disciplines by the current economic downturn?



## Timewalker (Jul 15, 2009)

Every engineering discipline is being affected by the present economic conditions, but I was somewhat surprised by the following article originated by the IEEE:

http://www.physorg.com/news166208581.html

The article indicates that unemployment among EEs is much higher than other engineering and professional areas. :sniff:

Do you see this job loss for EEs happening in your own company? What's going on in your industry? What are the job or unemployment trends for those engineers that work in industries that are closely tied to the electrical/electronic industry?


----------



## Kephart P.E. (Jul 15, 2009)

Maybe by individual skill areas yes.

Here in the Pac. Northwest a EE working in the Semiconductor Field could write his own ticket 4-5 years ago. That situation started tapering off about 3 years ago and is pretty gone today.

However if you are a EE with Controls experience (SCADA, PLC, etc) or Industrial Power, we are always recruiting those folks.

I think it is part of a boom and bust; all the graduates saw the money they could make at Intel/HP, then it sort of busted, now people are out there still looking for the same job so to speak. Add that in with the Recession and there you go.


----------



## Timewalker (Jul 17, 2009)

D. Kephart said:


> Maybe by individual skill areas yes.
> Here in the Pac. Northwest a EE working in the Semiconductor Field could write his own ticket 4-5 years ago. That situation started tapering off about 3 years ago and is pretty gone today.
> 
> However if you are a EE with Controls experience (SCADA, PLC, etc) or Industrial Power, we are always recruiting those folks.
> ...



D. Kephart, it's interesting but tragic what you say about the Semiconductor EEs in the Pac. Northwest...The winds of change...I agree with your observation about Intel/HP engineers...some friends of mine from the Midwest went to work in those industries and now they are working in very different fields (the lucky ones) or struggling to be rehired in this economy...

Luckily, I've always been in the industrial power sector (power systems, power generation and field engineering) so I appreciate my good fortune and choice of EE field. There is talk about stimulus money going into the infrastructure and into energy in particular, so that may create more work opportunities for graduating Electrical Power EEs...and also help promote the power systems field in engineering schools...

Thanks for your comments.


----------



## Wolverine (Jul 21, 2009)

[SIZE=18pt]WORLD ENDS![/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Electrical Engineers Hit Hardest[/SIZE]

Civil Engineers Blame Insufficient Stormwater Management


----------



## McEngr (Jul 21, 2009)

I have very little to offer to this thread except that electrical designer or electrical engineer is the most common engineering discipline listed on Salem and Portland craiglist job listings.


----------



## benbo (Jul 21, 2009)

I worked in semiconductor capital equipment for 6 years and it was always boom or bust.

They would hire or layoff people at the drop of a hat based on the industry cycles and

the "book to build" ratios. I'm sure it's worse now, but EEs will probably eventually find a job.

When the economy is really overheated they hire electrical engineers at a rapid pace. In the

Dot-com and high tech booms of the 90s they couldn't find enough engineers, and were hiring

anybody with a pulse. These days it is tougher to get a job, especially for recent grads and

older folks, but anybody who can really do mixed-signal or RF design, or VLSI, is likely to be

able to find something.

I'm now in power (well, sort of, power regulation actually). When I graduated from college almost

none of my classmates went into power. Most of the people going into power were plant techs

or Navy people getting degrees. But now I think power is the thing of the future for alot of EEs.


----------



## Timewalker (Jul 21, 2009)

benbo said:


> I'm now in power (well, sort of, power regulation actually). When I graduated from college almostnone of my classmates went into power. Most of the people going into power were plant techs
> 
> or Navy people getting degrees. But now I think power is the thing of the future for alot of EEs.


I agree with your projection about Power being the future for a lot of EEs, benbo...hopefully, EEs will benefit soon from these forthcoming opportunities...

Thanks for your comments.


----------

