Jobs Abound for Engineering Graduates

Engineering graduates will enjoy good employment opportunities with significantly higher-than-average starting salaries through 2005, according to the 1994-95 edition of The Engineering, Scientific, and Related Occupations Report, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employment is expected to increase for engineers despite the decline in U.S. defense expenditures, while the number of engineering graduates is expected to remain near the present level (approximately 65,000) through 2005. As many manufacturing industries change from defense to commercial applications, the bureau anticipates engineers will be in demand to further increase productivity and output, to update and improve existing processes, and to design new products. For materials engineers, opportunities in service industries that develop improved materials for industrial customers are expected to grow. The generally small number of metallurgical, ceramic, and materials engineering graduates can also expect to find good opportunities as opportunities within the field grow.

Once a position has been obtained, engineering graduates are likely to earn significantly higher starting salaries than graduates with B.S. or B.A. degrees in other fields, according to the 1994-95 Occupational Outlook Handbook, also published by the U.S. Department of Labor and Bureau of Statistics. Based on information from the College Placement Council, the following is a list of average starting salaries for engineers based on their field.

• Petroleum, $40,679
• Chemical, $39,203
• Mechanical, $34,462
• Nuclear, $34,447
• Electrical, $33,754
• Materials, $33,502
• Industrial, $32,348
• Aerospace, $31,826
• Mining, $31,177
• Civil, $29,376

Employment opportunities in engineering have been good for a number of years, according to the handbook. Engineers held 1,354,000 jobs in 1992. This includes all disciplines being employed in industry, government, and research and development. Slightly less than half of all engineering jobs were located in manufacturing industries, with the major employers being industries concerned with electrical and electronic equipment, aircraft and parts, machinery, scientific instruments, chemicals, motor vehicles, fabricated metal products, and primary metals. Of the employed engineers, approximately 25,000 were materials engineers. The number of engineering graduates entering the job market declined, however, from the mid-1980s' high of close to 80,000 to approximately 65,000 for 1992.

For a copy of the Occupational Outlook Handbook or any of the related reprints, contact New Orders, Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15250.