Electrical Engineers
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems.
Electrical Engineers research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems. The role reports a median annual salary of $111,910 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $68,540 and $168,780 and is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Active Learning, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £60,303 a year for Electrical engineers (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £43,003 to £73,899 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2123). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Electrical Engineers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Entrance exam JEE Main (Paper 1) for B.E./B.Tech; top JEE Main scorers can sit JEE Advanced for IITs; IIT/NIT/IIIT seats allotted via JoSAA[1][2][3]
- 2 · Qualification B.Tech / B.E. in Electrical Engineering (4 years) at an IIT, NIT or AICTE-approved college[4][3][5]
- 3 · Entrance exam GATE for M.Tech admission or for recruitment by public sector undertakings (PSUs) that use GATE scores[6]
- 4 · Entrance exam UPSC Engineering Services Exam (Electrical) for services such as Central Power Engineering Service[7]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- JEE (Main) — National Testing Agency (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 — Eligibility criteria (read on 2026-09-27)
- JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure (read on 2026-09-27)
- AICTE — Model Curriculum (Diploma, UG, PG) (read on 2026-09-27)
- AICTE — Approval Process Handbook 2024-25 to 2026-27 (read on 2026-09-27)
- GATE 2027 — IIT Madras (organising institute) (read on 2026-09-27)
- UPSC — Engineering Services Examination 2027 notice (read on 2026-09-27)
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
16 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Engineering and Technology
- Computers and Electronics
- Design
- Mathematics
- Physics
- English Language
- Telecommunications
- Production and Processing
A day in the life
You begin your morning reviewing simulation results from SPICE models or electromagnetic field analyses, then head to the lab to probe a prototype power-supply board or motor-control circuit with an oscilloscope. Your day alternates between schematic capture and PCB layout in tools like Altium or KiCad, running tests on electrical equipment, and attending cross-functional design reviews with mechanical, firmware, and manufacturing engineers. You spend time calculating load requirements, selecting components from vendor catalogs, writing test procedures, and ensuring your designs meet safety standards like UL or IEC. The moment a system you designed powers up and performs flawlessly is deeply gratifying, but tracking down an elusive noise issue or navigating component shortages during a supply-chain crunch can consume days of focused troubleshooting.
Illustrative: one typical day. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
- Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
- Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
- Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
- Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
- Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Electrical Engineers do?
Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems.
What does a typical day look like in Electrical Engineers?
You begin your morning reviewing simulation results from SPICE models or electromagnetic field analyses, then head to the lab to probe a prototype power-supply board or motor-control circuit with an oscilloscope. Your day alternates between schematic capture and PCB layout in tools like Altium or KiCad, running tests on electrical equipment, and attending cross-functional design reviews with mechanical, firmware, and manufacturing engineers.
How much does Electrical Engineers earn?
The median annual salary for Electrical Engineers in the US is $111,910. The middle 80% of workers earn between $68,540 and $168,780 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $84,680 and $137,000.
What is the job outlook for Electrical Engineers?
The role is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 192,000 workers.
How do I become electrical engineers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Electrical Engineers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Active Learning, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Electrical Engineers?
Our AI-durability model gives Electrical Engineers a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Electrical Engineers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.