In the United States alone, in the month of September, there were more than 184,000 jobs advertised online for engineering professionals, according to Wanted Analytics, a business intelligence firm. The volume of listings was up 12 percent compared to those the year earlier, and 27 percent against the same time period in 2010. The engineering positions in the greatest demand are mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, manufacturing engineer, quality engineer and project engineer.
According to the report, although seasonal trends may be starting to affect hiring demand downward, employers are still likely to recruit engineers as one of the most in-demand STEM* fields. As the field of engineering evolves, the skills required of potential candidates also will change.
In addition to the more traditional engineering skills and certifications, like quality assurance and Six Sigma, several growing technologies are often specified in engineering ads, especially computer-aided design (CAD). The number of ads seeking candidates with CAD knowledge or experience is up 14 percent year-over-year.
The demand for engineers is spread across globe. In Brazil, there is a shortage of people with these skill sets, especially physical engineers and geophysical engineers. In Southeast Asia, the most acute shortage is for engineers in the oil and gas field. In the US, the highest volumes of listings during September were seen in Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, and Chicago. The Houston metro area realized the greatest year-over-year growth, up 34 percent from the year-earlier period.
Moreover, Wanted expects the time-to-fill to lengthen. As employers increase hiring demand for engineers, they are likely to experience more competition and an increased difficulty filling open positions. According to the Wanted’s hiring scale, employers throughout the U.S. spend an average of six and a half weeks advertising jobs and sourcing candidates for engineering positions. In some areas, where the competition is the fiercest, engineering position ads remain online for an average of nine weeks.
The employment law of supply and demand is alive and well. Until employers get smarter about mentoring young people and supporting colleges with curricula that leads to jobs, we will continue to see them struggle. Wise employers have already taken some steps in this direction. Programs like the GEMscholars initiative at Purdue need to be cloned to support our willing and able students who lack the resources.
*STEM = Science, Engineering, Technology and Math.
