The number of electrical engineers in the workforce has declined over the last decade. It’s not a steady decline, and it moves up and down, but the overall trend is not positive.
In 2002 the U.S. had 385,000 employed electrical engineers; in 2004, post dot.com bubble, it was at 343,000. It reached 382,000 in 2006, but has not risen above 350,000 since then, according to U.S. Labor Data.
For sure, there has been a recession, continuing high unemployment, although overall tech employment has been rising.
There are, of course, many occupations in tech that are important to the economy, but electrical engineers are considered among the most important. Electrical engineers are often employed in the development of technologies that can generate new jobs and even industries.
In 2012, there were 335,000 electrical engineers in the workforce, which is an increase of about 25,000 from 2011. But the overall pattern, taken over the years, appears to be trending to a lower number.
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