Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Occupation · SOC 17-3012.00
Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.
Also called: Computer-Aided Design Operator · Drafter · Electrical Designer · Staking Technician (Staking Tech) · Designer · Drafting Technician (Drafting Tech) · Electrical Drafter · Layout Designer · Printed Circuit Board Designer (PCB Designer) · Staking Engineer · Analog Design Engineer · Analog Integrated Circuits Design Engineer (Analog IC Design Engineer)
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-3012-00/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.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-5.6% by 2034)
- 1,700 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $73,720/yr
- Can largely be done remotely (teleworkable)
- Both the 2013 computerization estimate and today's AI exposure rank this high
87th-percentile task overlap — yet about 1,700 openings a year (-5.6% projected, BLS) . 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 | 70th | 0.9 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) High | 87th | 1.0 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 90th | 0.3 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.6), and including AI-powered software (γ 1.0). 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 0.8 · 65th percentile among occupations · Moderate
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.
| Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations. | 1.0% | |
| Key and program specified commands and engineering specifications into computer system to change functions and test final layout. | 0.6% | |
| Study work order requests to determine type of service, such as lighting or power, demanded by installation. | 0.4% | |
| Write technical reports and draw charts that display statistics and data. | 0.2% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -5.6% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 1,700 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 21,600 → 20,400 |
“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.
Electrical and Electronics Drafters sits at the 64th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure eased from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
35% mean task exposure (2025)
64th percentile of 427 placed occupations
−10 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Draughtspersons · 3118 | 35% | Minimal |
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.
Tasks
All 30 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices. Core · importance 4.4
- Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew. Core · importance 4.4
- Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect. Core · importance 4.3
- Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations. Core · importance 4.3
- Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings. Core · importance 4.2
- Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems. Core · importance 4.2
- Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable. Core · importance 4.1
- Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems. Core · importance 4.0
- Draw master sketches to scale showing relation of proposed installations to existing facilities and exact specifications and dimensions. Core · importance 4.0
- Review work orders or procedural manuals and confer with vendors or design staff to resolve problems or modify design. Core · importance 3.9
- Locate files relating to specified design project in database library, load program into computer, and record completed job data. Core · importance 3.9
- Examine electronic schematics and supporting documents to develop, compute, and verify specifications for drafting data, such as configuration of parts, dimensions, or tolerances. Core · importance 3.9
- Compare logic element configuration on display screen with engineering schematics and calculate figures to convert, redesign, or modify element. Core · importance 3.8
- Review blueprints to determine customer requirements and consult with assembler regarding schematics, wiring procedures, or conductor paths. Core · importance 3.8
- Generate computer tapes of final layout design to produce layered photo masks or photo plotting design onto film. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Study work order requests to determine type of service, such as lighting or power, demanded by installation. Core · importance 3.8
- Determine the order of work and the method of presentation, such as orthographic or isometric drawing. Supplemental · importance 3.8
- Visit proposed installation sites and draw rough sketches of location. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Explain drawings to production or construction teams and provide adjustments, as necessary. Core · importance 3.7
- Key and program specified commands and engineering specifications into computer system to change functions and test final layout. Supplemental · importance 3.6
- Copy drawings of printed circuit board fabrication using print machine or blueprinting procedure. Supplemental · importance 3.4
- Select drill size to drill test head, according to test design and specifications, and submit guide layout to designated department. Supplemental · importance 3.2
- Reproduce working drawings on copy machines or trace drawings in ink. Core · importance 3.0
- Plot electrical test points on layout sheets and draw schematics for wiring test fixture heads to frames. Supplemental · importance 3.0
- Write technical reports and draw charts that display statistics and data. Supplemental · importance 2.9
- Supervise and coordinate work activities of workers engaged in drafting, designing layouts, assembling, or testing printed circuit boards. Supplemental · importance 2.9
- Train students to use drafting machines and to prepare schematic diagrams, block diagrams, control drawings, logic diagrams, integrated circuit drawings, or interconnection diagrams. Supplemental · importance 2.8
- Prepare and interpret specifications, calculating weights, volumes, or stress factors.
- Supervise or train other technologists, technicians, or drafters.
- Use computer-aided drafting equipment or conventional drafting stations, technical handbooks, tables, calculators, or traditional drafting tools, such as boards, pencils, protractors, or T-squares.
Work activities
- Create electrical schematics.
- Document technical design details.
- Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
- Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
- Review technical documents to plan work.
- Confer with other personnel to resolve design or operational problems.
- Create schematic drawings for electronics.
- Collect data about project sites.
- Operate computer systems.
- Design electrical equipment or systems.
- Explain engineering drawings, specifications, or other technical information.
- Operate digital imaging equipment.
- Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
- Verify mathematical calculations.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
- Prepare technical reports for internal use.
- Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
- Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Design | 4.4 | |
| Engineering and Technology | 4.3 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 4.2 | |
| English Language | 3.9 | |
| Mathematics | 3.6 | |
| Administrative | 3.5 | |
| Education and Training | 3.2 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.1 | |
| Geography | 3.1 | |
| Administration and Management | 2.9 |
Abilities
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Near Vision | 3.9 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.6 | |
| Written Expression | 3.6 | |
| Visualization | 3.6 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.5 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.4 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.4 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.3 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.0 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.6 | |
| Writing | 3.5 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.4 | |
| Speaking | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
Transferable skills
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | |
| Time Management | 3.1 | |
| Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 | |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.9 | |
| Systems Analysis | 2.9 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 2.9 |
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 52.
Tools & technology
Showing the top 40 of 75.
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.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians . 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 | 40.1% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 23.6% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 21.1% | |
| Some College Courses | 6.7% | |
| High School Diploma | 6.1% | |
| Master's Degree | 2.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Engineering | 5.8 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 3.9 | |
| Information Technology | 3.3 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 2.6 | |
| Office Work | 2.1 | |
| Physical Science | 1.9 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 1.7 | |
| Visual Arts | 1.6 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.6 | |
| Conventional | 5.5 | |
| Investigative | 3.4 | |
| Artistic | 3.1 | |
| Enterprising | 1.9 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 3.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.7 | |
| Cautiousness | 2.1 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $48,680 |
| 25th percentile | $58,800 |
| Median (50th) | $73,720 |
| 75th percentile | $91,780 |
| 90th percentile | $110,180 |
| People employed | 20,020 |
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 | 6,690 | $74,840 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 5,340 | $74,830 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 4,330 | $68,580 |
| Construction · Sector | 3,850 | $69,780 |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · National industry | 3,000 | $72,400 |
| Utilities · Sector | 2,600 | $90,820 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 800 | $61,640 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 540 | $60,330 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 460 | $95,550 |
| Information · Sector | 450 | $65,380 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 340 | $75,080 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 330 | $64,020 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 49.69× | 460 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 35.57× | 5,340 |
| Utilities · Sector | 34.56× | 2,600 |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors · National industry | 21.55× | 3,000 |
| Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction · National industry | 9.21× | 280 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 4.78× | 6,690 |
| Construction · Sector | 3.65× | 3,850 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 2.61× | 4,330 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing and Construction career clusters.
- Mechanical Drafters · 17-3013.00 Compare →
- Architectural and Civil Drafters · 17-3011.00 Compare →
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3023.00 Compare →
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer · 17-2072.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3027.00 Compare →
- Electrical Engineers · 17-2071.00 Compare →
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3022.00 Compare →
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians · 17-3028.00 Compare →
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers · 51-9162.00 Compare →
- Commercial and Industrial Designers · 27-1021.00 Compare →
- Computer Hardware Engineers · 17-2061.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineers · 17-2141.00 Compare →
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 and Electronics Drafters — 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.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 64th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Electrical and Electronics Drafters show 87th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,700 annual U.S. openings
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters rank in the 87th percentile (High 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 1,700 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 declining (-5.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $73,720, across about 20,020 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Electrical and Electronics Drafters show 87th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,700 annual U.S. openings • Electrical and Electronics Drafters rank in the 87th percentile (High 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 1,700 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 declining (-5.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $73,720, across about 20,020 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Electrical and Electronics Drafters". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3012-00 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.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Electrical and Electronics Drafters." 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-17-3012-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Electrical and Electronics Drafters. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-3012-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-3012-00,
title = {Electrical and Electronics Drafters},
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-17-3012-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.