Unemployment rate for electrical engineers soars to new record

July 7, 2009

The unemployment rate for U.S. electrical and electronics engineers (EEs) hit a new record in the second quarter, while the rate for all engineers increased for a second straight quarter, according to data released last week by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

"Technology drives our economy, which means engineering unemployment is a bellwether for recovery and job creation," IEEE-USA President Gordon Day said. "These new data suggest we've got a long way to go as the United States attempts to regain its economic footing."

The news for EEs was particularly bad as the jobless rate more than doubled from 4.1 percent in the first quarter to a record-high 8.6 percent in the second. The previous quarterly record was 7 percent, in the first quarter of 2003.

For all engineers, the unemployment rate jumped from 3.9 percent in the first quarter to 5.5 percent in the second quarter. The rate for computer professionals steadied at 5.4 percent, after a significant jump in the first quarter. The second-quarter for all professional workers showed a modest uptick, from 3.7 percent to 4.3 percent.

The BLS reports that 29,000 EEs were unemployed in the second quarter, up from the first-quarter figure of 13,000. On a small positive note, the number of employed EEs seems to have stabilized, actually rising 2.3 percent quarter-to-quarter, but at levels well below those of the past decade.

"Taken together, these data may suggest that engineers laid off last year and early this year are having trouble securing the new engineering jobs being created," Day said.

Source: IEEE

4.2 /5 (6 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

Bob_Kob
Jul 08, 2009

Rank: 3 / 5 (2)
oh fuck and im going to do electrical engineering...
TidyTim
Jul 08, 2009

Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
I'm an EE (designing FPGA hardware). I was laid off by Cypress Semiconductor in 2002. I survived by doing Web Design for 6 years. Fortunately I now have a good job doing cutting edge FPGA design.
Rick69
Jul 08, 2009

Rank: 2.3 / 5 (3)
Don't worry, everything will be fine after the effects of Obama's stimulus funds kick in. The government will solve all of our problems.
tthb
Jul 11, 2009

Rank: not rated yet
Looks alot like the Prodigal whatever without the prodigal; welcome back into the fold !! ; or a firmer grip on whatsoever 'sector' chosen ??
Rank 4.2 /5 (6 votes)
Related Stories
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • Flow From a Tank through a Pipe
    created6 hours ago
  • How to tilt a object
    created23 hours ago
  • How to calculate total compressibility in liquid porous solid system
    createdFeb 12, 2012
  • Need help reading 3-D
    createdFeb 11, 2012
  • A way to send and receive wireless data
    createdFeb 11, 2012
  • Calling function with no input argument
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

More news stories

Music service gives Myspace second wind

Faded online social network Myspace said Monday it was getting a second wind due to the popularity of a freshly launched online music player.

Technology / Internet

created 2 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

US, EU clear Google's $12.5B Motorola Mobility bid (Update)

Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of cellphone maker Motorola Mobility have won approvals from U.S. and European antitrust regulators, moving Google a major step closer to completing the biggest deal in its ...

Technology / Business

created 3 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Computer programs that think like humans

Intelligence – what does it really mean? In the 1800s, it meant that you were good at memorising things, and today intelligence is measured through IQ tests where the average score for humans is 100. ...

Technology / Computer Sciences

created 2 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Apple shares close over $500

Apple shares surged past $500 for the first time on Wall Street on Monday, powered by reports a new iPad may be unveiled next month.

Technology / Business

created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

EU executive defends contested online piracy pact

The European Commission on Monday defended a global online-piracy pact opposed by some EU states and still to be ratified by the European Parliament.

Technology / Internet

created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


First-of-its-kind stem cell study re-grows healthy heart muscle in heart attack patients

Results from a Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute clinical trial show that treating heart attack patients with an infusion of their own heart-derived cells helps damaged hearts re-grow healthy muscle.

Discovery paves way for salmonella vaccine

(Medical Xpress) -- An international research team led by a University of California, Davis, immunologist has taken an important step toward an effective vaccine against salmonella, a group of increasingly antibiotic-resistant ...

Time of year important in projections of climate change effects on ecosystems

(PhysOrg.com) -- Does it matter whether long periods of hot weather, such as last year's heat wave that gripped the U.S. Midwest, happen in June or July, August or September?

Smoking bans lead to less, not more, smoking at home: study

Smoking bans in public/workplaces don't drive smokers to light up more at home, suggests a study of four European countries with smoke free legislation, published online in Tobacco Control.

Ovarian cancer arises in fallopian tube of knockout mice

(Medical Xpress) -- The most deadly form of "ovarian" cancer arises in the fallopian tubes – not the ovaries – of knockout mice that lack two genes associated with the disease, said researchers led by Baylor College ...

UK cases of progressive sight loss condition set to rise a third by 2020

New cases of the progressive sight loss condition, known as age-related macular degeneration, or AMD for short, are set to rise by a third in the UK over the next decade, reveals research published online in the British Jo ...