Although Tech Layoffs Persist, Expert Engineers Are in Demand

In 2024, the know-how sector noticed but extra layoffs after large cuts in 2022 and 2023. Although the tempo was considerably slower final 12 months, greater than 150,000 staff have been laid off throughout lots of of corporations, in keeping with Layoffs.fyi, a web site began through the COVID-19 pandemic to trace tech layoffs all over the world. The most important single reduce got here in August, when Intel reduce 15 % of its workforce—roughly 15,000 roles—by, for instance, consolidating its gross sales and advertising and marketing crew. To begin the brand new 12 months, in January 2025, tech corporations introduced one other 5,000 layoffs. Greater than half of those are from Meta’s 5 % workforce reduce.

Regardless of these numbers, nevertheless, engineers appear to be doing simply positive. U.S. employment for electrical engineers is predicted to develop 9 % from 2023 to 2033, in contrast with 4 % for all occupations, in keeping with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). And amongst IEEE members, the median earnings of U.S. engineers and different tech professionals was US $174,161 in 2023, up 5 % from the 12 months prior, IEEE-USA’s annual survey present in September.

Extra not too long ago, the World Financial Discussion board’s Way forward for Jobs Report 2025, based mostly on 2024 information, revealed that technology-related roles are the fastest-growing classes globally, with probably the most fast progress in demand anticipated for huge information specialists, financial-technology engineers, AI specialists, and software program builders. The report additionally predicted progress in engineering fields, together with environmental and renewable vitality, robotics, and electrotechnology engineering.

The upshot: Whereas many tech corporations proceed to restructure, extremely expert tech consultants stay in demand.

Tech Expertise In Demand

The Way forward for Jobs Report additionally checked out expertise that employers throughout all industries think about essential. It discovered the largest improve in three classes of know-how expertise: AI and massive information expertise, networks and cybersecurity, and know-how literacy.

The sectors of telecommunication and automotive and aerospace are notably concerned with AI and massive information expertise; 100% 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 % 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 know-how experience. Will probably be important for staff to be able to artistic pondering, resilience, flexibility, and lifelong studying.

In reality, many corporations at the moment have a look at nontechnical talents 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 essential for younger engineers, “the underside line is, as soon as college students get out into the working world, they’re going to need to constantly be taught,” Lapan says. “All of us need to be keen to adapt.”

An Engineering Recruiter’s View

Though many corporations have scaled again on hiring normally, the job market for electrical engineers within the United States stays aggressive, says George Santos, the managing director of the Naperville, Unwell.–based mostly recruiting agency 180 Engineering. “It’s a superb 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 sensible manufacturing comes subtle equipment that includes many sensors and an abundance of information transmission. Electrical engineers will “play a vital half” in constructing and sustaining these automated methods, says Santos, who anticipates progress within the semiconductor and renewable vitality sectors as effectively.

In response to surveyed employers, tech experience—reminiscent of the primary three rows—tops the record of expertise anticipated to extend in significance over the following 5 years.

In response to the BLS, demand for electrical and electronics engineers in semiconductor manufacturing is predicted to develop by 15 % from 2023 to 2033—and the semiconductor trade pays its EEs effectively, with a median annual wage of almost $145,000. The BLS additionally initiatives that demand for EEs in photo voltaic and wind electrical energy era 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 useful out there.” Having a background in one thing like energy electronics or embedded firmware will make a candidate stand out. “There’s not a complete 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 residence.

Virtually 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 not less than 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 Might 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 reality, these mandates might trigger prime expertise to go away—a pattern already being seen at some highly effective tech corporations.