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Electrical Engineers

Occupation · SOC 17-2071.00

Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.

Also called: Design Engineer · Electrical Design Engineer · Electrical Engineer · Project Engineer · Circuits Engineer · Electrical Controls Engineer · Electrical Project Engineer · Engineer · Instrumentation and Electrical Reliability Engineer (I&E Reliability Engineer) · Test Engineer · Automation Engineer · Cable Engineer

Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations

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Download .md

A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch /roles/role-17-2071-00/context.md directly.

AI work map

A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.

Often handed to AI

Task areas most often handled directively in observed AI conversations — candidates to delegate with light review.

  • Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems. · 1.1%
  • Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems. · 0.7%
  • Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems. · 0.5%
See how AI is used here →

Use as a copilot

Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.

  • Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes. · 2.1%
  • Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency. · 0.8%
  • Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements. · 0.4%
See collaboration patterns →

Keep a human in the loop

Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.

  • Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems. · 96.4% need a human
  • Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes. · 94.6% need a human
  • Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems. · 94.0% need a human
See the boundary tasks →

60th-percentile task overlap — yet about 11,700 openings a year (+7.2% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 4519% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

Measure Rank vs all occupations Percentile Score
Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High 79th 1.1
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High 70th 0.8
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low 33rd 0.1

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.3), with simple added tooling (β 0.6), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.8). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Most of this job's tasks can be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman), which tends to track with higher digital and AI exposure.

Historical automation estimate (2013)

A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.

Frey–Osborne probability 0.1 · 29th percentile among occupations · Low

How AI is actually used in this job

Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.

Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency. 2.9%
Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes. 1.0%
Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems. 1.0%
Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems. 0.6%
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems. 0.6%
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks. 0.4%

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

Outlook Growing fast · +7.2% by 2034
Projected annual openings 11,700
Employment 2024 → 2034 192,000 → 205,700

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient

The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.

31% mean task exposure (2025)
59th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−2 pts shift 2023 → 2025
International occupation (ISCO-08) Task exposure (2025) Most tasks fall in
Electrical Engineers · 2151 31% Not exposed

Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.

Working with AI in this job

How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.

Augmentation vs. automation 45.2% working with AI · 24.9% handed to AI
Most common way people use AI here Iteration · you and AI go back and forth
Typical AI autonomy 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently
Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) 47.9%

What people delegate to AI

The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.

Task How Usage
Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes. Iteration 2.1%
Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems. Directive 1.1%
Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency. Iteration 0.8%
Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems. Directive 0.7%
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems. Directive 0.5%
Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements. Iteration 0.4%
Develop systems that produce electricity using renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels. 0.3%

Where a human is still needed

Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.

Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems. 96.4%
Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes. 94.6%
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems. 94.0%
Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements. 88.6%
Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems. 87.0%
Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency. 77.5%

What people most often hand AI here

Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.

  • Help me estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes.

    From: Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes. · 2.1% of measured AI use · task iteration

  • Help me investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.

    From: Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems. · 1.1% of measured AI use · directive

  • Help me integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency.

    From: Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency. · 0.8% of measured AI use · task iteration

  • Help me conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems.

    From: Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems. · 0.7% of measured AI use · directive

Tasks

All 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology 4.7
Computers and Electronics 4.7
Design 4.1
English Language 3.8
Mathematics 3.7
Physics 3.6
Production and Processing 3.3
Mechanical 3.2
Public Safety and Security 3.2

Essential skills

Writing 4.1
Reading Comprehension 4.0
Critical Thinking 4.0
Active Listening 3.9
Speaking 3.9
Active Learning 3.9
Monitoring 3.5
Mathematics 3.4

Abilities

Written Comprehension 4.1
Written Expression 4.1
Oral Comprehension 4.0
Oral Expression 4.0
Problem Sensitivity 4.0
Deductive Reasoning 4.0
Inductive Reasoning 4.0
Information Ordering 3.9
Category Flexibility 3.9
Near Vision 3.8
Speech Recognition 3.6
Mathematical Reasoning 3.5
Number Facility 3.4
Fluency of Ideas 3.3
Originality 3.3
Speech Clarity 3.3
Perceptual Speed 3.1

Transferable skills

Complex Problem Solving 3.9
Coordination 3.3
Judgment and Decision Making 3.3
Systems Analysis 3.3
Systems Evaluation 3.3
Operations Analysis 3.1

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

Showing the top 40 of 54.

Tools & technology

Example Category
Autodesk AutoCAD Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology In demand
Autodesk Revit Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology In demand
C++ Object or component oriented development software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology In demand
Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation software Hot technology In demand
Python Object or component oriented development software Hot technology In demand
The MathWorks MATLAB Analytical or scientific software Hot technology In demand
Apache Subversion SVN File versioning software Hot technology
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology
Bash Operating system software Hot technology
Bentley MicroStation Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology
C Development environment software Hot technology
C# Object or component oriented development software Hot technology
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Computer aided design CAD software Hot technology
Eclipse IDE Development environment software Hot technology
ESRI ArcGIS software Geographic information system Hot technology
Linux Operating system software Hot technology
Microsoft Project Project management software Hot technology
Microsoft SQL Server Data base user interface and query software Hot technology
Microsoft Visio Process mapping and design software Hot technology
Microsoft Visual Basic Development environment software Hot technology
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA Development environment software Hot technology
Microsoft Visual Studio Development environment software Hot technology
Microsoft Windows Operating system software Hot technology
Microsoft Windows Server Operating system software Hot technology
Microsoft Word Word processing software Hot technology
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Project management software Hot technology
Perl Object or component oriented development software Hot technology
SAP software Enterprise resource planning ERP software Hot technology
Shell script Operating system software Hot technology
UNIX Operating system software Hot technology
ETAP Geographic information system In demand
SKM Systems Analysis Power Tools Analytical or scientific software In demand
Ada Development environment software
Advanced boolean expression language ABEL Development environment software
Altera hardware description language AHDL Development environment software
APLAC Analytical or scientific software
ATD protocol WAN switching software and firmware
Automated material handling software Analytical or scientific software

Showing the top 40 of 120.

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

E-Mail 4.9
Telephone Conversations 4.8
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.7
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 4.7
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 4.6
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 4.5
Freedom to Make Decisions 4.5
Contact With Others 4.3
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.3
Frequency of Decision Making 4.1
Spend Time Sitting 4.1
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 4.0
Time Pressure 3.9
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 3.8
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 3.7
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 3.7
Level of Competition 3.3
Conflict Situations 3.2
Physical Proximity 3.2
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets 3.2
Health and Safety of Other Workers 3.1
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 3.1
Consequence of Error 3.0
Written Letters and Memos 3.0
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 3.0
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 2.9
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions 2.7
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 2.6
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled 2.4
Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures 2.4
Spend Time Standing 2.4
Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment 2.3
In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment 2.3
Public Speaking 2.3
Exposed to Hazardous Conditions 2.2
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions 2.2
Spend Time Walking or Running 2.2
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment 2.2
Degree of Automation 2.2
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions 2.0

How to get in

Job zone
Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
Related experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Preparation level
SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

What to study: Engineering . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Bachelor's Degree 81.6%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 11.0%
Master's Degree 7.3%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Interest areas

Engineering 6.6
Mechanics/Electronics 5.7
Mathematics/Statistics 4.4
Physical Science 3.9
Management/Administration 3.0
Information Technology 2.7

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Realistic 6.0
Investigative 5.5
Conventional 4.4
Enterprising 2.4
Artistic 2.1

Work styles

Dependability 6.0
Attention to Detail 5.0
Cautiousness 4.0
Intellectual Curiosity 3.0
Innovation 2.3

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$75k10th$88k25th$112kMedian$142k75th$175k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
192k2024206k2034 (proj.)+7.2% · Growing fast
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $74,670
25th percentile $87,590
Median (50th) $111,910
75th percentile $141,630
90th percentile $175,460
People employed 188,790

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Industry Workers National median pay
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector 63,300 $112,190
Manufacturing · Sector 57,830 $109,370
Engineering Services · National industry 40,300 $103,450
Utilities · Sector 22,220 $118,170
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 9,330 $121,790
Construction · Sector 8,400 $97,460
Wholesale Trade · Sector 6,240 $114,130
Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · National industry 5,570 $96,390
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry 4,380 $123,210
Information · Sector 3,580 $164,760
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 3,400 $114,400
Temporary Help Services · National industry 2,130 $115,420

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Industry Concentration Workers
Hydroelectric Power Generation · National industry 52.54× 440
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry 50.18× 4,380
Other Electric Power Generation · National industry 37.44× 160
Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry 37.16× 1,690
Utilities · Sector 31.32× 22,220
Engineering Services · National industry 28.47× 40,300
Solar Electric Power Generation · National industry 22.25× 380
Wind Electric Power Generation · National industry 16.45× 200

Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Electrical Engineers sits at the 60th percentile of AI task-overlap and the 89th percentile of median pay, placed here against 12 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Electrical Engineers Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians Electronics Engineers, Except Computer AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Electrical Engineers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Skills that travel

Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 59th percentile of 427 international occupations.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Electrical Engineers show 60th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 11,700 annual U.S. openings

  • Electrical Engineers rank in the 60th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
  • The occupation is projected to see about 11,700 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7.2%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $111,910, across about 188,790 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
  • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 45% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Electrical Engineers show 60th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 11,700 annual U.S. openings

• Electrical Engineers rank in the 60th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE)
• The occupation is projected to see about 11,700 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+7.2%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $111,910, across about 188,790 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))
• Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 45% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2)

Source: Singulariki — "Electrical Engineers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2071-00
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Electrical Engineers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2071-00

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Electrical Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2071-00

BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-2071-00,
  title  = {Electrical Engineers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2071-00}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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