By\u00a0John Rossheim, Monster Senior Contributing Writer<\/p>\n
Now more than ever,\u00a0engineering\u00a0is a multidisciplinary profession. Whether they\u2019re simulating seismic forces on the world\u2019s tallest buildings or designing nanomanufacturing processes, engineers must take into account the perspectives of multiple stakeholders.<\/p>\n
With that in mind, here\u2019s a look at the 2013 job market for engineers from the points of view of a recruiter, an engineering employer, a community economic development leader, a college placement adviser and a recent engineering graduate.<\/p>\n
Recruiter\u2019s View: High Interest in a Select Few \u201cEmployers are taking advantage of the engineer marketplace selectively,\u201d says Jack Smith, president of the Milwaukee office of Sanford Rose Associates, a network of independently owned executive search firms. \u201cThere\u2019s some churn and replacement, but not a great deal of growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith says there’s high demand for\u00a0electrical engineering<\/a>\u00a0and physics majors with postgraduate engineering degrees. By contrast, he sees slack in the demand for\u00a0civil engineers<\/a>,\u00a0chemical engineers<\/a>,mechanical engineers<\/a>,\u00a0manufacturing engineers<\/a>\u00a0and even\u00a0aerospace engineers<\/a>. In these fields, \u201cthere are a ton of people out of work and on the market,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Engineering firms are telling recruiters that in 2013, they’ll want to hire engineers who think like businesspeople. \u201cEmployers want engineers who have been involved with strategy and planning and know their way around balance sheets and income statements,\u201d Smith says. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to find them.\u201d<\/p>\n Employer\u2019s View: Seeking Sensitive, Client-Centered Engineers Like many engineering firms, Sepi seeks to distinguish itself with superior client relations. \u201cI don\u2019t hire engineers who lack interpersonal skills,\u201d says Asefnia, who plans to hire as many as seven more engineers in 2013. \u201cWe want the client to feel that we\u2019re going to find the best options for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Community Developer\u2019s View: Looming Shortage of Energy Engineers For example, a workforce analysis of the Pittsburgh region projects that Western Pennsylvania energy companies will be looking for engineers and other workers. \u201cThe top high-demand, low-supply occupations that we identified are mechanical, electrical and\u00a0petroleum engineers<\/a>,\u201d says Dennis Yablonsky, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, which works to stimulate economic development in southwest Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n 2013 Engineering Jobs Outlook – Featuring Jack Smith, President of Sanford Rose Associates\u00ae – Milwaukee<\/p>\n Read the\u00a0full story<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nRecruiters see 2013 as another rebuilding year for the engineering profession, which took its knocks through the Great Recession.<\/p>\n
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\nCivil and\u00a0environmental engineering<\/a>\u00a0firms foresee jobs growing out of the need to adapt to global warming and the attendant stresses on the built environment. \u201cClimate change is becoming more and more real,\u201d says Sepi Asefnia, president of Sepi Engineering & Construction, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based firm with nearly 40 engineers. \u201cI think government will take more preventive action to protect people and cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nBlessed by a geographic concentration of resources, whether of nature or of human talent, some communities are expecting substantial growth in engineering jobs in 2013 and beyond.<\/p>\n