US Engineer Shortage 9-25-25

The US is facing an engineer shortage in 2025, with high demand for specialized engineers in areas like AI, renewable energy, and cybersecurity, while a lack of new graduates to replace retiring professionals exacerbates the situation. This shortage is characterized by difficulties for employers in finding qualified candidates, long hiring times for specialized roles, and significant gaps in certain engineering fields.  

Key Factors Contributing to the Shortage

Increased Demand: Rapid integration of AI and automation, a boom in renewable energy, growth in cybersecurity and fintech, and advancements in biotechnology are all driving higher demand for specialized engineers. 

Talent Mismatch: The skills of available engineers don't always match the demands of the market, particularly for next-generation technologies and specialized roles. 

Retiring Workforce: The number of engineers entering the workforce is not keeping pace with the number of experienced professionals retiring. 

Hiring Challenges: Employers are finding it difficult to recruit, with a significant percentage of companies experiencing challenges in finding qualified candidates for their open positions. 

Areas Most Affected

Specialized Roles: Niche engineering positions, such as those in embedded systems, controls, and AI/machine learning, are particularly hard to fill. 

Software Engineering: Despite the high number of software engineers, there's still a demand for those with strong product ownership, leadership, and communication skills, not just coding ability. 

Civil, Industrial and Electrical Engineering: These traditional fields are also experiencing significant difficulty in filling open positions. 

Consequences

Project Delays: The shortage has led to delays in critical projects, such as infrastructure rebuilding, due to the lack of qualified engineers to oversee them. 

Sustained Growth in the Engineering Job Market: Despite the shortage, the engineering sector continues to see high demand and opportunity, with firms anticipating increased hiring. 

Yes, the U.S. is facing a shortage of engineers in 2025, particularly for specialized roles. This ongoing talent gap is driven by a combination of high demand, an aging workforce, and a mismatch between the skills needed by employers and those possessed by available candidates. 

Key drivers of the engineering shortage

• Retirement of experienced engineers: A significant portion of the engineering workforce is nearing retirement, and the number of new graduates is not keeping pace with the outflow of experienced professionals.
• Increased demand from new technologies: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and robotics across various industries is creating new roles and a surge in demand for specialized engineers.
• Infrastructure and green energy initiatives: Major government and corporate investments in infrastructure projects and the transition to renewable energy are fueling demand for civil, electrical, environmental, and renewable energy engineers.
• Demand for specialized skills: Employers are specifically struggling to find candidates with niche skills in areas like semiconductors, AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. The World Economic Forum identifies high-growth roles in fintech, robotics, and renewable energy engineering.
• Growing job market: Despite some economic headwinds, the overall engineering job market remains strong, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting faster-than-average growth for architecture and engineering occupations from 2024 to 2034. 

Industries most affected

Companies across many sectors are feeling the pinch of the talent shortage, including:

• Manufacturing: The industry is struggling to fill critical engineering roles needed to modernize and maintain production.
• Aerospace and defense: This sector faces ongoing challenges attracting and retaining engineering talent, especially as the current workforce ages.
• Technology: While the software market has stabilized after layoffs, demand is high for developers with skills in AI, machine learning, and cloud infrastructure.
• Construction and infrastructure: Significant infrastructure spending is driving strong demand for civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers.
• Semiconductors: The ongoing push for domestic chip manufacturing has created a shortage of specialized semiconductor engineers. 

Challenges for employers

With a low unemployment rate for engineers, companies face several hurdles when hiring:

• Recruitment difficulty: Surveys show a high percentage of employers have trouble recruiting qualified engineers.
• Longer hiring times: Filling specialized engineering positions is taking significantly longer than the average for other jobs.
• Competition for passive candidates: The majority of qualified engineers are already employed and not actively job searching, requiring a more proactive recruitment approach. 

Strategies to address the shortage

To attract and retain talent in this competitive market, employers are adopting new strategies, including: 

• Offering more flexible and hybrid work arrangements.
• Investing in upskilling and training programs for existing employees.
• Revising job requirements to focus more on skills and experience rather than just academic degrees.
• Partnering with specialized staffing agencies to access qualified candidates. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=is+the+us+facing+a+shortage+of+engineers+in+2025

According to data from sources including the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Data USA, the number of Electrical Engineering bachelor's degree graduates in the U.S. from 2021 to 2023 is as follows: 

• 2020–2021: 28,166
• 2021–2022: 26,528
• 2022–2023: 27,809 

Complete data for 2024 and 2025 is not yet available, but here are some key insights:

• 2024: Final numbers will be released as academic years conclude. The National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) Digest of Education Statistics, for example, is typically released two years after the academic year ends.
• 2025: Salary projections for the class of 2025 were higher for engineering and computer science graduates, indicating continued strong demand for these fields. 

Trends for electrical and electronics engineers:

• Declining interest: The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation reported that from 1997 to 2020, bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering rose by only 37.5%, while all other degree fields saw an 81.1% increase.
• High industry demand: Despite a general decline in the proportion of degrees, graduates remain in high demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 7% growth in overall employment for electrical and electronics engineers from 2024 to 2034, which is faster than the average for all occupations.
• Growing diversity: The percentage of science and engineering degrees earned by American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, and Hispanic students collectively increased between 2012 and 2021. However, these groups remain underrepresented in engineering compared to their share of the U.S. population. 

In the U.S., the number of bachelor's degree graduates in electrical and electronics engineering has remained relatively consistent in recent years, with data indicating around 20,000 to 30,000 graduates annually between 2021 and 2024. 

Bachelor's degrees in electrical engineering by year

• 2023: Data USA, which tracks government statistics, reported 27,809 electrical engineering degrees were awarded in 2023.
• 2021–2022: A College Factual report indicated that 8,347 bachelor's degrees were awarded in electronics engineering technology during the 2021–2022 school year. This number is specific to technology degrees and does not cover the broader electrical engineering field.
• 2020: The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) reported 13,744 bachelor's degrees were awarded in electrical engineering in 2020. An additional 4,135 bachelor's degrees were awarded in the combined "electrical/computer" field. 

Key trends and considerations

When examining these numbers, note the following factors:

• Data variability: The exact graduate count can vary depending on whether the source includes computer engineering or electronics engineering technology graduates in the totals.
• Broad discipline: Electrical and electronics engineering are often grouped, as indicated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources.
• 2024 and 2025 projections: Official graduation data for 2024 is still being compiled, and the 2025 academic year has not concluded. Trends suggest steady numbers, aligning with the U.S. workforce's overall demand for engineers.
• STEM context: The electrical and electronics engineering field exists within a larger STEM context. The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) reported that the total U.S. STEM workforce was 36.8 million people in 2021.

https://www.google.com/search?q=us+electronics+engineer+bs+graduates+by+year+2021+to+2025

Comments

The number of US students with sub-par skills in Math will further delay our ability to double the number of Engineers needed to support current needs. In the meantime, Trump is inviting our ample number of foreign Engineering Students to stay in the US.

In the 1990s, the US began to off-shore electronics and we are now dealing with a US Engineer Shortage. The US needs Math Teachers who have a BS in Math.

In the 1960s, the US began to increase Degreed Engineers to work on the Space Program. In the 1980s, these Engineers were available to work on the PC, Internet and Telephony Revolutions and end the “quality problem”. Now all of these Engineers are Retired. It could take 10 years to crawl out of this hole.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader