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Job outlook for electrical engineering project managers in the United States
Electrical engineering project manager job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected electrical engineering project manager job growth rate is 3% from 2018-2028.
About 9,800 new jobs for electrical engineering project managers are projected over the next decade.
Electrical engineering project manager salaries have increased 7% for electrical engineering project managers in the last 5 years.
There are over 5,146 electrical engineering project managers currently employed in the United States.
There are 131,380 active electrical engineering project manager job openings in the US.
The average electrical engineering project manager salary is $87,900.
Are electrical engineering project manager jobs in demand?
Electrical engineering project manager job and salary trends over time
Electrical engineering project manager jobs over time
Electrical engineering project manager job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,146 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 5,124 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,133 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 5,159 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,072 | 0.00% |
Average electrical engineering project manager salary over time
Electrical engineering project manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $87,900 | $42.26 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $85,895 | $41.30 | +2.0% |
| 2023 | $84,247 | $40.50 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $82,870 | $39.84 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $82,129 | $39.48 | +1.3% |
Electrical engineering project manager jobs by state
Most common states for electrical engineering project managers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 410 | 59% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 288 | 38% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 477 | 36% |
| 4 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,908 | 34% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 578 | 30% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,012 | 29% |
| 7 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 888 | 28% |
| 8 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 477 | 28% |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,546 | 27% |
| 10 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 563 | 27% |
| 11 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 365 | 27% |
| 12 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 757 | 26% |
| 13 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 224 | 26% |
| 14 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,637 | 25% |
| 15 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,077 | 25% |
| 16 | Delaware | 961,939 | 240 | 25% |
| 17 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 145 | 25% |
| 18 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,454 | 24% |
| 19 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 979 | 24% |
| 20 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 734 | 24% |
Most common cities for electrical engineering project managers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean | 2 | 4% | $81,378 |
| 2 | Fairfax | 1 | 4% | $81,234 |
| 3 | Clinton | 1 | 3% | $90,352 |
| 4 | College Park | 1 | 3% | $90,507 |
| 5 | Annandale | 1 | 2% | $81,302 |
| 6 | Bowie | 1 | 2% | $90,645 |
| 7 | Alexandria | 1 | 1% | $81,376 |
| 8 | Centreville | 1 | 1% | $81,136 |
| 9 | New York | 11 | 0% | $89,839 |
| 10 | Washington | 2 | 0% | $99,175 |
| 11 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $78,871 |
| 12 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $82,385 |
Electrical Engineering Project Manager job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of electrical engineering project manager experts
Gonzaga University
Stevens Institute of Technology
California State University - Fresno
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Pennsylvania State University - Abington
San Diego State University
University of Utah
University of Maryland - College Park
San Jose State University
Clemson University
University of Minnesota Crookston
Wofford College
University of Kansas
Illinois State University
Old Dominion University
Indiana Wesleyan University
University of Central Florida
Tufts University
Michigan Technological University
What Electrical Engineering Project Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Craig Johnson Ph.D., P.E.: Network with your peers and have job opportunities in sight at all times. Keep up your virtual profiles and be the engineer everyone wants to have around. Each job selection is your choice, but networking and being proactive in seeking opportunities is crucial to maximizing your salary potential.
What will help Electrical Engineering Project Managers increase their earning potential?
Craig Johnson Ph.D., P.E.: Master basic science and engineering concepts, as well as application of 'soft skills' such as written and verbal communication. Acquire skills and knowledge areas in electromechanical devices, especially in areas of energy and heat transfer, reflecting current issues related to climate change and power management.
What Electrical Engineering Project Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: The most important skill is the ability to learn new things, and especially to unlearn things you “know” after evidence demonstrates that these things are not true. Learn how to analyze information. Your intuition, simulations, and results should all be in alignment. If they are not, then dig deeper. Learn the terminology and jargon specific to your company and your projects. Spend time reading. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by new software.
What will help Electrical Engineering Project Managers increase their earning potential?
Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: Put a good resume together and follow suggestions of people who are experts at preparing resumes. Before you have an interview, practice interviewing. Participate in a mock interview and listen to feedback. Maximize salary potential by documenting your accomplishments, your work, and your results. Keep a journal. If you have good documentation, you can more easily make a case for promotion when the time comes.
What Electrical Engineering Project Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Min Song: Communication skills and innovative thinking skills. As emerging technologies continue to be complex and multidisciplinary, it’s important to be able to communicate with professionals in diverse disciplines. Taking robotics, for example, the electrical engineer must be able to work with mechanical and biomechanical engineers, computer engineers, software engineers, artificial intelligence experts, cognitive scientists, system engineers, etc. A person will be able to generate innovative ideas only if the person has a complete and comprehensive understanding of the entire system and can work well with other individuals with a range of expertise.
What will help Electrical Engineering Project Managers increase their earning potential?
Hovannes Kulhandjian Ph.D.: Stay Curious and Keep Learning: The field of electrical engineering is constantly evolving. Stay up to date with the latest advancements and technologies through continuous learning and professional development. Build a Strong Foundation: Focus on mastering the core principles of electrical engineering to provide a strong foundation for your career. Network: Build professional relationships with peers, mentors, and industry experts. Attend conferences and seminars to expand your network and learn from others. Gain Practical Experience: Look for internships, co-op positions, or entry-level jobs that provide hands-on experience. This practical exposure will help you apply your knowledge and stand out in the job market. Develop Soft Skills: Communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills are crucial in any engineering role. Cultivate these skills to work effectively with others and advance your career.
What Electrical Engineering Project Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Arie Nakhmani: Electrical Engineering has always (from its inception) been a good profession to enter, but now it is better than ever. Now everything is becoming Electrical Engineering, and the world cannot survive without it even for a few days. Electrical Engineering is the most necessary profession for the survival of modern society.
What Electrical Engineering Project Manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Yi Yang PhD: In the next 3-5 years, I believe management skills will become increasingly important. Engineers who can bridge the gap between technical complexity and business strategy, driving innovation and growth in their organizations will be very valuable.
What will help Electrical Engineering Project Managers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineers solve problems by skillfully applying mathematics and science. Electrical engineering classes are challenging at college, and electrical engineers must embrace lifelong learning to remain at the top of their skills. In the end, seeing the results of their work in a finished product is a rewarding experience.
Florian Solzbacher
Department Chair, Professor, Elect & Computer EngineeringUniversity of Utah
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
What soft skills should all Electrical Engineering Project Managers possess?
Florian Solzbacher: Engineering is about teamwork. All major quantum leaps and most products require extensive system engineering and diverse skills. Engineers need to be able to understand the languages and workflows not only across engineering disciplines but also ranging into business, legal and ethical aspects of their work. This includes communication and project management skills.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Electrical Engineering Project Managers?
Florian Solzbacher: First of all, the fundamentals (mostly math, physics, materials/chemistry) and basic EE/CE concepts need to be solid. As stated above: the ability to solve real-world development and system integration problems that require "global optimization" of technical performance as opposed to local optimization of specific sub-systems or components is really critical.
Beyond that, given the accelerating breadth of specializations and sub-areas, it is important that students have sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge in the specific area they are targeting. It is important that schools are offering tracks and guidance as to what skills are needed to allow students to successfully master engineering tasks across a range of sub-areas. We have to recognize that in the context of a 4-year program, it is no longer possible to train a student in all areas of ECE - a combined BS/MS degree or MS/Ph.D. degree obviously provides more runway to add breadth.
What skills stand out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Florian Solzbacher: Examples of having applied the knowledge gained in their studies to practical examples of solving engineering problems that require the combination of skills and at least some understanding of system engineering aspects are important signals that graduating engineers are ready to be productive in a real-world setting are always important. Obviously, participating in projects that address current "hot topic" problems, e.g., in robotics, AI/machine learning, power systems, biomedical applications, or that resonate with specific problems an employer is currently working on, will raise a student's profile.
Supplemental skills, such as Entrepreneurial or business training, can enhance and differentiate a student's resume. This shows that an engineer is not solely focused on the core technical engineering skills but does have an understanding of the driving forces and their interaction in a real-world business setting, that are not only part of the design requirements for a product (e.g., design to cost), but also often drive the selection of technical solution paths, after all, every development and product has to make business sense. Imagine two young engineers proposing a solution to their manager for a new product: one maybe even over-exceeds the technical requirements, but the development and/or manufacturing and servicing effort and cost is significantly higher than a colleagues solution that may only just about reach the requirements, or maybe even compromise on some specifications, but that is far cheaper to develop, make and service and that may allow entering a far larger market- chances are very high that the business may decide to go for the "inferior" solution from a technical point of view, that is, however, the better product. This supplemental skill set is a significant competitive advantage to have as an engineer.
What skills will help Electrical Engineering Project Managers earn the most?
Florian Solzbacher: The ability to solve problems efficiently and effectively (i.e., fast and cost-effective) really is critical to companies: every month delay in completion delays revenue and income, which may even dwarf the additional engineering cost. Significantly increased development cost also raises the cost of the product, impacting margins. Developments that come with significant after-sales service and support costs also have to be considered.
From experience, there are, of course, "expert tracks" in many companies that allow an engineer to reach very high compensation levels because they are one of a few who solve specific complicated problems. In some cases, this can go all the way to below board level. In most cases, however, management skills (personnel, projects, budgets) lead to tracks that eventually increase management of engineering activities and decrease the active engineering. In recent years, more and more high-tech companies have moved to have engineers lead the entire business as CEO.
Starting your own business is another path to high incomes, but associated with significant risks, and initially possibly much lower income than a job at an established company.
Interpersonal skills - which do not often come easy to engineers who tend to be focused on solving technical problems - must also never be underestimated because so much in solving real-world problems requires communication and balancing competing needs and resources. And we all stand and fall with the team and the people that make up the team. Long term, an engineering leader who is able to coalesce a strong team around a target objective and motivate his team and who is able to mediate inter-team challenges tends to be far more successful than managers who ignore those aspects.
Donald Yeung
Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education, Affiliate Professor, Computer Science DepartmentUniversity of Maryland - College Park
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
What hard/technical skills are most important for Electrical Engineering Project Managers?
Donald Yeung: In terms of hard technical skills, I believe the courses students take along with their GPA in these courses is one level of demonstration. (As I mentioned above, employers know about our program probably down to specific courses, and so if someone gets an A+ in some notoriously challenging course, that's probably known and appreciated). Some employers will give technical interviews and require students to solve problems on their feet. But I think most employers will judge this based on a student's transcript.
What skills stand out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Donald Yeung: A degree at a highly rated engineering school is always a plus. For example, the ECE dept at UMD has a good reputation among local employers as well as employers elsewhere, such as Silicon Valley. Many of our students go to companies in these areas, and so we have a reputation based on the quality of students that go out. I think employers know what they're getting. Beyond the school from which you receive your degree, your GPA is also important. How well you do in the program you come from is important, too, obviously. And employers also know about grade inflation or deflation at different schools, so they can calibrate any student's GPA against what experience they've had with previous students' records. Besides that, employers also look for experience outside of the degree program, so internships, research experiences, any significant project experience, etc., are also a real plus.
What soft skills should all Electrical Engineering Project Managers possess?
Donald Yeung: In terms of soft skills, communication is by far the most important, I would think. This could be ascertained during the interview process. Also, being able to work in a team is a plus, too. This might be demonstrable from large project experiences. For example, our students participate in teaming projects outside of the ECE program like Terp Racing, Hyperloop project, etc. This could demonstrate a student's exposure to working on large teams.
Yasser Dessouky
Professor and ChairSan Jose State University
Industrial and Systems Engineering
What skills stand out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Yasser Dessouky: Besides being very comfortable with various professional social-media platforms, the new engineering students must embrace developing their skills in artificial intelligence and data science techniques. Besides being an excellent team member, today's remote world requires engineers to have independent problem-solving skills for a career to thrive.
Dr. John Ballato
J. E. Sirrine Endowed Chair and ProfessorClemson University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
What skills stand out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Dr. John Ballato: The phrase "well rounded" may be getting old, but it's still true. We like to see graduates who didn't just go to class but worked in a laboratory or did a co-op/internship and had various extra-curricular activities, both personal and professional. Remember that materials science and engineering are leveraging computer science more and more, whether through atomistic or microstructural modeling or newer technologies such as machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). So having some familiarity with those and how they complement experimental/hands-on studies are helpful.
Another point about skills that stand out is a simple one - do your homework. There are few things more irritating than receiving a resume or email asking for a job, and the student clearly didn't care enough to look up what we do. The resume is a copy and paste and isn't personalized to the specific position, Group, or company. That stands out like a sore thumb.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Electrical Engineering Project Managers?
Dr. John Ballato: Important hard/technical skills really depend on the nature of the job/position and the organization. This really relates back to the What Skills Stand Out question. Employers want to know that employees have the requisite "toolbox" of basic skills and a willingness and aptitude to learn on the job. No person comes out of school with all the skills and experiences needed for a given job, so organizations inevitably continue to provide training on product-specific skills. Knowing how to learn, wanting to learn, and admitting what you don't know are as important, if not more so, than any hard/technical skills one gains during their education.
What skills will help Electrical Engineering Project Managers earn the most?
Dr. John Ballato: Here, too, the answer depends on the field, job position (and location), and organization. MSE graduates generally are well compensated compared to other engineering fields. The most important thing is that you wake up every morning and are excited about the work you're doing. There's no substitute for enjoying your work, regardless of how much you are paid.
What skills stand out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Rutherford Johnson Ph.D.: Well, familiarity and proficiency with the technology I just described is now important. I also always promote language as a highly valuable skill -- and if you are working internationally, even remotely, it is a definite skill that makes you stand out. Even though English is now the main international language, do not just rely on that if that is your main language. Knowing the language of your clients, for example, even just a little of it, can pay off and make you get noticed. It also helps you understand the culture and people of that country a lot better.
Dr. Smriti Bhargava Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of EconomicsWofford College
Economics Department
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Electrical Engineering Project Managers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Smriti Bhargava Ph.D.: It depends on what the student likes doing- if they enjoy working with numbers and data, they would be well suited for industry as data analysts. They may want to work in policy think tanks or government organizations as research associates of policy analysts if they want to learn about the effect of legislations. If math is their forte, Graduate school is also an interesting path to take if they are hoping to work in academia or pursue high-ranking positions in the government, research, and policy.
What soft skills should all Electrical Engineering Project Managers possess?
Milena Stanislavova Ph.D.: Working and collaborating in groups, presenting to different audiences, writing technical reports, grant applications and researching new topics are all essential soft skills. Much of today's world relies on data, so collecting, summarizing, organizing and presenting data is also an important soft skill that is becoming quite fundamental.
Randy Jacobs
Instructional Assistant Professor, Construction Management, Professional Practice CoordinatorIllinois State University
Department of Technology
What type of skills will young Electrical Engineering Project Managers need?
Randy Jacobs: Many of the skill sets will remain the same: problem solving, communication and leadership. CM graduates are accustomed to being mobile moving from job to job and working at off-site locations. But some of those skill sets will be put to the test as the need for more "digital presence" is required of companies and construction projects.
What type of skills will young Electrical Engineering Project Managers need?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: One skill that is timeless is the ability to communicate effectively, such as taking a complex design process and distilling it into intuitive slides or reports that lend themselves for senior managers to process in order to come to a decision. An engineer who has that ability will always have some tools in his/her toolbox that makes that individual attractive to a company and to the local technical ecosystem, thus a ripe target for headhunters who willing to champion them to companies looking for top talent. Moreover, speaking and writing well also comes with a vital component of diplomacy, especially in the context of increasingly distributed company workforce: the ability not just to get on with colleagues from different parts of the world, increasingly heterogeneous in terms of gender and possibly sexual preference, but embrace them for who they are. This is often maps to opportunities to travel, as some collaborations lead to meetings face to face, post-covid.
This embrace of heterogeneity is even more relevant in that technical problems being solved are increasingly multi-disciplinary, so that an engineer may need to interact with biologists, physicians, clothing or furniture designers, mathematicians, lawyers, and so on: in my own case, I have to wear a multitude of different hats, while recognizing someone who is a perfect fit for one of those hats when I meet that individual, and making the most of that opportunity to build a truly competent team. Engineers must be able to hold a meaningful, respectful conversation with any of these counterparts, not just discuss code or circuit design. I would advocate that they spend time reading, to maintain their vocabulary and stay abreast of the world around them.
Another one that I advocate is the ability to tap into a revolution that has occurred in parallel with the advent of Internet and cellular technologies, these past 30+ years: the explosion of open-source software tools. I am a committed proponent of open source, as a former contributor to them while previously employed at Kitware (a pioneer in this area, behind VTK, ITK, CMake, and myriad others). I see job ads in Indeed.com that specifically ask for the ability to work with these tools, since they save work and make it possible to produce a prototype in much less time than developing it completely in-house. This ability does not just presuppose the ability to program at a competent level, but other abilities: the ability to track bugs that not be in the calling program, but in the open-source software library itself, the willingness to get answers in the community of developers, the eye for details that extends to graphical processor units that result in accelerations an order of magnitude or better, and so on. These go way beyond writing a self-contained algorithm. Hardware designers may also have similar tools, based on broad standards, Arduino, and the prevalence of 3D printers that make it possible to physically replicate digital models.
Finally, a vital skill is the willingness and ability to keep learning, while embracing revolutions that take place at breathtaking pace. The latest one is the reliance on deep neural networks (DNNs) to synthesize algorithms that can learn and adapt to their data, with much faster performances than feasible with the previous algorithms that DNNs have replaced. The point to make here is not to embrace neural networks in a proximal sense, but that we cannot anticipate what will come next, downstream of DNNs. Graduates of 2021 have to be willing to keep their curiosity and work ethic enough to be responsive to the next wave of technologies, and embrace them for the opportunities that they represent.
What experience really stands out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: I am not in Human Resources, so I cannot speak from that perspective, but I suspect that a resume that can describe in a few words not only some meaningful projects undertaken by the engineer, but through a few well-crafted sentences, convey that this engineer has an important role in a design project and possesses real expertise rather than just the ability to insert buzzwords in a sentence. I once heard Elon Musk say in describing who he hired for Tesla, that a true expert can describe a problem at several scales; I like that definition. It takes more than buzzword-level expertise to do that.
I also believe that employers are looking for certain industry-standard tools, such as GIT software revision control or MS TEAMs, as well as relevant open-source tools that relate to that specific area of the company in question. I am convinced that they also value any leadership qualities that they can ascertain from a resume, where a candidate makes the case for having a formative impact on the outcome of a project. Not a blowhard, made-for-TV, hierarchical take on leadership, but the ability to take a high-level view of the state of a project, parse it in terms of what the bottlenecks or pitfalls are, find a technical solution collegially, as well as rally and motivate collaborators to see those critical areas through.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electrical Engineering Project Managers?
Michel Audette Ph.D.: My take on this is what I've seen with my wife's work in industry, which suggests that the industrial landscape is going to be increasingly equipped for, and open to, remote work. I think that the implication for graduates is that they may need to be flexible about working within a geographically distributed team. If company deciders feel that someone is worth employing because of a unique skill set, then they would typically be more willing to hire that person even if unable to make it to work regularly, if that is feasible given the nature of the work; some work, such as hardware testing or industrial production, may not lend itself to remote contributions.
Nonetheless, for those areas that accommodate geographically distributed activity, such as software development, graduates can expect to interact with team members all over the US, possibly all over the world, if someone is deemed unique enough to hire despite living abroad. This places a high premium on the ability and willingness to work in a heterogeneous team, where not only will members look different, but also have myriad accents in their English, which will also impose a certain adaptability and tolerance to team members.
A related impact could also be that global hiring will make it easier for multi-national companies to hire a portion of their talent in countries where wages are lower and motivate US-based engineers to seek out graduate degrees in order to increase their competitiveness and employability at US salaries.
What skills stand out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Joseph Snider: Experience, certifications, and degrees. Some are must-haves, and some are nice-to-have.
Maria Jacob
ProfessorUniversity of Central Florida
Department of ECE
What type of skills will young Electrical Engineering Project Managers need?
Maria Jacob: I feel that the skills needed will not change to what is currently required; however, it may well happen that some of the graduates don't have them. For example, good communications skills. It may happen that the graduates have good written skills but not verbal, since more and more we send emails than calling someone. I know, I sound like an old person, which is funny because I'm writing this...
What experience really stands out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Maria Jacob: Well, this is a too general question to answer. It totally depends on which job you are applying. Is the graduate going to the industry or research? Is the job for testing, designing, coding? What will stand out will depend on this.
However, if I really have to choose one, I always thought that one of the most important things you can learn is to work in a multidisciplinary group. Then, if before graduation a student can have an internship either in the industry or in research that will definitely stand out.
What experience really stands out on Electrical Engineering Project Manager resumes?
Eric Miller Ph.D.: Having been an academic my entire career, I am perhaps not the best person to be answering this question. Certainly, when looking for prospective graduate students, I like to see a resume with one or two long-term research projects culminating in some sort of archival publication. To me this type of record indicates the ability to look deeply into a problem over an extended period of time which is the type of dedication one needs for research. Though not on a resume per se, strong letters of reference are important as are grades in those undergraduate and upper-level classes most aligned with a student's intellectual interests. Finally, I really want to see strong writing skills. Something like a paper that could get into a decent academic conference is good. Something closer to a journal article is much better. I am looking for the ability to write a clear and coherent introduction, strong discussion and exposition of the underlying problem and proposed solution, a description of the experiments, and analysis of results.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electrical Engineering Project Managers?
Eric Miller Ph.D.: I believe that there may well be some long term impact. Hopefully not in terms of health, but perhaps in terms of the way we work. It is possible, if not likely, that remote work and education will not be going away any time soon. How they evolve over the coming years depends on a variety of factors including the extent to which technology provides the "being there" feeling that is currently absent or at least rather attenuated when using products like Zoom, WebEx or Teams.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Electrical Engineering Project Managers?
Joshua Pearce Ph.D: I think the virtualization of work and automation, in general, has been accelerated by the pandemic. This means that the competition for what most of us consider 'normal' jobs will become fiercer, and the skills a graduate needs to get those jobs are becoming more sophisticated. Graduates need to work at home, and a lot of it relies on the advanced use of computing (think AI, CV, etc., not merely staring at a screen for entertainment).
This also means graduates are competing against a global workforce - hungry people willing to work hard. Overall, we have also seen a massive shift in wealth in the last year, the undereducated are now in real trouble, and the hyper-educated and wealthy are better off than ever before. Graduates will want to make sure they stay in the latter group, bolstering their education and picking up advanced skills. This does not have to be a chore - one of the best ways to do this is to dive into an open-source project and maybe save/make a little money along the way.
What type of skills will young Electrical Engineering Project Managers need?
Joshua Pearce Ph.D: The trends were already present before COVID - but they have been accelerated: graduates need to work remotely and function in virtual teams on large complex projects. Many jobs have been virtualized, and recruiters are targeting talent with proven abilities. Many graduates received a crash course in large-scale cooperation with massive open-source development projects like the thousands of engineers that joined Helpful Engineering to combat COVID. They worked on everything from designing PPE that overran the NIHs 3D printing Exchange to complicated electronics for open-source ventilators.