Yes, the US has an engineering shortage in 2026, but it is uneven. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 106,500 openings for engineers every year from 2025 to 2035, and engineer employment is projected to grow 8.5%, more than twice the 3.5% pace for all jobs. Unemployment for architecture and engineering occupations averaged just 1.8% in 2025, versus 4.3% for all workers.
On paper, US schools graduate enough engineers: about 123,000 engineering bachelor’s degrees in 2021-22. The gap shows up by discipline and experience level. Industrial engineering has about four times as many yearly openings as new graduates and civil engineering nearly twice as many, and 83% of engineering firms report difficulty finding qualified engineers, their most-cited recruiting challenge (ACEC Research Institute, Q2 2026). Power, semiconductor, and data center work are the tightest.
Key takeaways
- BLS projects 106,500 engineer openings per year from 2025 to 2035, with engineer employment growing 8.5% versus 3.5% for all occupations.
- Industrial engineers (23,100 a year) and civil engineers (22,700) have the most annual openings, ahead of mechanical (17,800) and electrical (11,400).
- Industrial engineering produces about 5,500 bachelor’s grads a year for 23,100 openings. Civil produces about 12,300 for 22,700 openings.
- Architecture and engineering unemployment was 1.8% in 2025, well under the 4.3% rate for all workers.
- About 591,000 employed engineers (22%) were 55 or older in 2025.
- 83% of engineering firms report difficulty finding qualified engineers, their most-cited recruiting challenge (ACEC, Q2 2026).
- The power sector may need 450,000 to 1.5 million more engineers worldwide by 2030 (Kearney and IEEE PES).
Engineering job market this month
US architecture and engineering firms employed 1,778,800 people in September 2026, up 45,000 (2.6%) from a year earlier and up 5,800 from August.
This counts everyone employed at firms whose main business is architecture, engineering or related services, from engineers to drafters, surveyors and office staff. Engineers who work for manufacturers, utilities or government are counted in those industries instead. The latest two months are preliminary and BLS revises them. The pay figures in this guide come from the BLS annual wage survey, which updates once a year. Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics, seasonally adjusted (engineering employment, unemployment rate). Updates automatically each month, usually on the first Friday.
Is there an engineering shortage in the US in 2026?
The answer depends on the discipline. The cleanest way to see it is to set BLS annual openings next to the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the same field. The degree counts come from the American Society for Engineering Education’s Engineering and Engineering Technology by the Numbers report (2024 edition, published 2025), which covers degrees awarded in its latest reporting cycle.
Two fields stand out. Industrial engineering has about 23,100 openings a year but only about 5,500 bachelor’s grads in industrial, manufacturing, and systems engineering. Civil engineering has 22,700 openings and roughly 12,300 grads (civil plus civil/environmental). Mechanical and aerospace, by contrast, graduate more people than BLS expects to hire each year.
Openings are not the same as entry-level jobs. BLS counts openings from growth plus workers who retire or leave the occupation, and most of those seats call for experience. A mechanical engineering grad surplus does not fill a shortage of senior power systems or controls engineers. Graduates also move into software, consulting, and other fields, which is why a surplus on paper can still feel like a shortage to hiring managers.
| Discipline | Annual openings (BLS) | Bachelor’s degrees (ASEE) | Openings per graduate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial / manufacturing | 23,100 | 5,469 | 4.2 |
| Civil (incl. civil/environmental) | 22,700 | 12,315 | 1.8 |
| Electrical | 11,400 | 10,710 | 1.1 |
| Environmental | 2,300 | 1,350 | 1.7 |
| Mechanical | 17,800 | 28,895 | 0.6 |
| Aerospace | 3,800 | 5,618 | 0.7 |
| Chemical | 1,100 | 7,766 | 0.1 |
| Biomedical | 1,200 | 8,181 | 0.1 |
How many engineering jobs will open each year through 2035?
BLS expects the engineers group to grow from 1.84 million jobs in 2025 to 1.99 million in 2035, with about 106,500 openings per year on average. Median pay for engineers was $108,620 in 2025, more than double the $50,980 median for all occupations (BLS Employment Projections). For pay by role and state, see our engineering salary calculator, our engineering salary by state rankings and our list of the highest-paid engineering jobs in 2026.
| Occupation (SOC) | Jobs 2025 | Jobs 2035 | Change | Annual openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical engineers (17-2141) | 298,500 | 332,000 | 11.2% | 17,800 |
| Electrical engineers (17-2071) | 199,700 | 219,500 | 9.9% | 11,400 |
| Civil engineers (17-2051) | 380,600 | 405,100 | 6.4% | 22,700 |
| Industrial engineers (17-2112) | 365,100 | 410,600 | 12.4% | 23,100 |
| Aerospace engineers (17-2011) | 68,700 | 74,400 | 8.3% | 3,800 |
| Computer hardware engineers (17-2061) | 76,100 | 83,000 | 9.1% | 4,100 |
| Electronics engineers (17-2072) | 98,200 | 101,800 | 3.7% | 4,900 |
| Environmental engineers (17-2081) | 39,100 | 41,600 | 6.3% | 2,300 |
| Chemical engineers (17-2041) | 21,900 | 22,900 | 4.7% | 1,100 |
| Biomedical engineers (17-2031) | 23,800 | 25,700 | 7.6% | 1,200 |
| Materials engineers (17-2131) | 23,800 | 25,600 | 7.5% | 1,300 |
| Petroleum engineers (17-2171) | 18,500 | 18,800 | 2.0% | 1,000 |
| Nuclear engineers (17-2161) | 16,600 | 16,600 | 0.4% | 800 |
| Health & safety engineers (17-2111) | 22,300 | 23,500 | 5.4% | 1,200 |
| Engineers, all other (17-2199) | 166,700 | 173,000 | 3.7% | 8,800 |
| Engineers, total (17-2000) | 1,835,700 | 1,991,000 | 8.5% | 106,500 |
Which engineering jobs are growing faster than average?
Most engineering fields are projected to grow faster than the 3.5% expected for all US jobs (BLS, September 2026). Industrial engineers lead at 12.4%, followed by mechanical (11.2%) and electrical (9.9%). Those three track factory reshoring, automation, and grid and data center buildouts. Nuclear (0.4%) and petroleum (2.0%) are the only fields projected to grow slower than the economy overall.
How many engineering degrees are awarded each year?
US colleges awarded 123,017 engineering bachelor’s degrees in 2021-22, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, plus 18,405 in engineering technologies. That is 43% more than in 2012-13, but it is down 4% from the 2019-20 peak of 128,337. The pipeline that grew every year from 2012-13 to 2019-20 has stalled just as demand is rising.
ASEE’s latest count, which uses a different survey of engineering schools, puts the total at 132,079 bachelor’s degrees, including 26,878 in computer science programs housed inside engineering colleges. Mechanical engineering is the largest traditional discipline by far. Women earned 24.2% of engineering bachelor’s degrees in 2022, per the same report.
| Discipline | Bachelor’s degrees |
|---|---|
| Mechanical | 28,895 |
| Computer science (inside engineering) | 26,878 |
| Electrical | 10,710 |
| Civil | 10,703 |
| Biomedical | 8,181 |
| Chemical | 7,766 |
| Computer | 7,313 |
| Aerospace | 5,618 |
| Industrial / manufacturing / systems | 5,469 |
| Electrical / computer | 3,602 |
| Civil / environmental | 1,612 |
| Environmental | 1,350 |
| Nuclear | 455 |
| Petroleum | 405 |
| Total (all disciplines) | 132,079 |
How many engineers are close to retirement?
About 591,000 of the 2.71 million people working in engineer occupations in 2025 were 55 or older, or about 22%, based on BLS Current Population Survey annual averages. That is close to the 23.2% share for all workers, so engineering is not unusually old. But each retirement takes years of project and code knowledge with it, and that is the experience employers say is hardest to replace.
In the power sector, about 15% of engineers plan to retire within the next decade, according to a Kearney and IEEE Power & Energy Society study based on a 2024 survey.
| Occupation | Employed (thousands) | Age 55-64 | Age 65+ | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civil engineers | 525 | 67 | 43 | 41.3 |
| Mechanical engineers | 419 | 72 | 25 | 41.2 |
| Electrical and electronics engineers | 284 | 45 | 23 | 41.4 |
| Industrial engineers, incl. health and safety | 274 | 50 | 10 | 42.1 |
| Aerospace engineers | 168 | 20 | 8 | 39.5 |
| Computer hardware engineers | 94 | 15 | 1 | 42.2 |
| Chemical engineers | 85 | 11 | 8 | 38.1 |
| All workers | 163,493 | 26,605 | 11,374 | 42.1 |
What is the unemployment rate for engineers?
Architecture and engineering occupations had a 1.8% unemployment rate in 2025, the same as 2024, according to BLS Current Population Survey Table 25. The overall rate rose from 4.0% to 4.3%, and computer and math occupations rose from 2.8% to 3.3%. Engineering held steady while tech hiring cooled, which is a strong sign of a tight market. Note that BLS’s 2025 averages cover 11 months because October data were not collected during the federal shutdown.
How hard is it for employers to hire engineers?
Hiring surveys from 2025 and 2026 point the same direction. In the ManpowerGroup 2026 Global Talent Shortage survey of 39,063 employers (February 2026), 69% of US employers reported difficulty filling roles, and engineering ranked third among the hardest skills to find worldwide at 19%, tied with AI literacy and behind only AI model and application development (20%).
Among US engineering firms, the ACEC Research Institute Q2 2026 Engineering Business Sentiment survey of 583 respondents found 83% report difficulty finding qualified engineers, the most-cited recruiting challenge. The share of firms that turned down work because of staffing shortages eased to 33%, from 51% in Q4 2024, while 64% expected hiring to increase over the next 12 months. ACEC’s Q3 2026 survey (August 2026) put that share at 65%.
| Survey (date) | Finding |
|---|---|
| ACEC Research Institute (Q2 2026) | 83% report difficulty finding qualified engineers, the most-cited recruiting challenge |
| ACEC Research Institute (Q2 2026) | 33% turned down work due to staffing shortages in the past six months (51% in Q4 2024) |
| ManpowerGroup (Feb 2026) | 69% of US employers report difficulty filling roles; engineering is the #3 hardest skill globally (19%) |
| Kearney and IEEE PES (2025) | Up to 40% of power executives expect an insufficiently skilled workforce to be among the greatest challenges in filling engineering roles over the next 5 to 10 years |
| Uptime Institute (Oct 2025) | 37% of data center industry respondents name hiring new staff among their two greatest challenges |
| Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute (Apr 2024) | Manufacturing could need 3.8 million workers by 2033; 1.9 million could go unfilled |
Which engineering disciplines are hardest to fill?
The tightest markets are where big capital projects meet a thin bench of experienced engineers: power, semiconductors, data centers, and advanced manufacturing.
- Power and grid engineering. The Kearney and IEEE PES study estimates the global power sector needs 450,000 to 1.5 million more engineers by 2030. Almost half of power engineers changed jobs within their company, moved to another employer, or left the industry in the past three years. Excluding retirees, 26% left their employer or the industry.
- Semiconductors. The Semiconductor Industry Association projects 67,000 chip industry jobs could go unfilled by 2030 as the workforce grows from about 345,000 to 460,000. Engineers account for 41% of that gap (27,300 jobs).
- Data centers. In Uptime Institute’s 2025 staffing survey, 37% of respondents named hiring new staff as one of their organization’s two greatest challenges. See our data center workforce shortage statistics for more.
- Electrical engineering. BLS projects 11,400 openings a year against about 10,700 electrical bachelor’s degrees, with the highest median pay of the large disciplines ($120,630).
- Manufacturing and controls. Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute (September 2026) project 2.3 million technician openings in manufacturing and adjacent industries from 2025 to 2030, the hands-on layer that works alongside controls and manufacturing engineers. Our skilled trades shortage statistics cover that side of the gap.
| Talent gap | Figure | Source (date) |
|---|---|---|
| Power engineers needed worldwide by 2030 | 450,000 to 1.5 million | Kearney and IEEE PES (2025) |
| Power engineers planning to retire within 10 years | About 15% | Kearney and IEEE PES (2025) |
| Unfilled US semiconductor jobs by 2030 | 67,000 | SIA (July 2023) |
| Engineering share of semiconductor gap | 41% (27,300 jobs) | SIA (July 2023) |
| Master’s or PhD engineers in semiconductor gap | 26% | SIA (July 2023) |
| Technician openings in manufacturing and adjacent industries, 2025-2030 | 2.3 million | Deloitte and MI (Sept 2026) |
How many US engineers are foreign-born?
Immigrants fill a large share of advanced engineering roles. In 2021, 14.2% of engineers with a bachelor’s degree were foreign-born, rising to 31.9% at the master’s level and 55.5% at the doctoral level, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (May 2024). That makes the engineering talent supply sensitive to visa policy, especially for semiconductor and R&D work that needs graduate degrees.
On H-1B visas, USCIS approved petitions for 42,215 workers in architecture, engineering, and surveying occupations in fiscal 2025, or 10.4% of all approved beneficiaries. Computer-related jobs took 62% (USCIS, April 2026).
What do these engineering shortage statistics mean for employers?
- Hire for the discipline, not the degree count. Industrial, civil, and electrical roles face far more openings per graduate than mechanical or chemical roles. Budget time and pay accordingly.
- Expect experienced hires to be passive. With engineering unemployment at 1.8%, most qualified engineers are already employed and need a reason to move.
- Plan for retirements now. About 22% of engineers are 55 or older. Pair senior engineers with junior hires before the knowledge walks out the door.
- Watch the hot sectors. Power, semiconductor, and data center projects compete for the same electrical and controls talent, which pushes pay up in every industry that needs them.
- Build an entry-level pipeline. Internship and co-op programs convert well, and mechanical and aerospace grads with the right training can move into adjacent roles.
Recruiter tip: For hard-to-fill electrical and controls roles, widen the search to adjacent backgrounds. Engineers from utilities, data centers, and industrial automation often share the same core skills in power distribution, PLCs, and commissioning. Lead with the project, the schedule, and a clear pay range in the first message, because strong candidates are comparing several offers at once.
Apollo Technical has placed engineers since 2010. Learn more about our engineering recruiting services and our electrical engineering recruiters, or tell us about a role you need to fill.
Methodology and sources
We used the most recent primary data available as of October 13, 2026. Openings per graduate and age 55+ shares are Apollo Technical calculations from the cited tables. BLS openings and ASEE degree counts cover different periods, so the comparison is a guide, not an exact match.
- BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, Table 1.2 (2026) and BLS The Economics Daily (September 21, 2026)
- BLS Current Population Survey, Table 11b and Table 25 (2025 annual averages)
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, Table 322.10 (September 2023)
- ASEE, Engineering and Engineering Technology by the Numbers (2024 edition, published 2025)
- ACEC Research Institute, Engineering Business Sentiment Q2 2026 (May 2026) and Q3 2026 release (August 27, 2026)
- ManpowerGroup Global Talent Shortage 2026 (February 26, 2026)
- Kearney and IEEE PES, The Future of the Energy Workforce (2025)
- Semiconductor Industry Association and Oxford Economics (July 25, 2023)
- Uptime Institute Staffing Survey 2025 (October 2025)
- Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute (April 3, 2024) and Deloitte and MI technician study (September 10, 2026)
- NCSES, The STEM Labor Force, Table LBR-4 (May 30, 2024)
- USCIS, Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers, FY2025 (April 24, 2026)
