Demand For Engineers Rises

It seems that the demand for engineers is rising in certain sectors.

Well, there’s at least one positive side effect of our rising gas prices. Engineering jobs.

That’s according to a Yahoo HotJobs article this week that points to the power sectors like wind and solar as “hot” spots for engineering gigs.

Citing the US Bureau of Labor Statistics among its sources, the article claims engineers who can find better ways to capture air, solar, and wind energy will be in high demand as oil prices continue to rise. Al Gore said something to that affect at the 2007 Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose where he claimed the “climate crisis” could be an opportunity to attract a new generation of engineers who will, basically, then be called undo the damage their parent’s and grandparent’s generations did.

And while the “duh factor” on the Yahoo article’s employment demand statement is pretty high, so is the expected engineering job growth rate at 11% through 2016. That 11% is especially high when you consider the above-average salaries EEs pull in (that is, above average compared to say an insurance agent, graphic designer, etc.) and the United States shift toward stagnant or lower wages.

The Yahoo article also brings up nuclear engineers who make plants run more efficiently. When did nuclear come back as an acceptable energy source?

Isn't that interesting. Markets respond to price signals. Of course there will be a lag. Work has to be done. Materials acquired and production systems designed (logistics). However. it is obvious that the market response is way faster than anything the government can do.

So what do I expect to see? The government will pass a bunch of laws about 6 months before the market delivers. Just so the government can take credit.