Infographic: Employment Optimism Fueled by Transition

For every engineer there are three positions available. So attracting the best engineering candidates remains competitive, concluded the 2025 Workforce Planning Guide. And according to Jim Gerlock, an executive recruitment consultant with Addison Group that published the report, it’s the new engineering graduates and those with less than five years of experience who should be optimistic.

Companies remain on the hunt for top talent, with mechanical engineering making the report’s “Top Four In-Demand Roles.” The national average salary for ME reached $108,905 with manufacturing helping fuel the need. The report concluded that manufacturers would need to fill over 30,000 new engineering jobs by 2029.

Another promising sector for MEs is energy, specifically those engineers who tackle such challenges as the transition from fossil fuel to alternative energy. “The field of energy is changing, and mechanical engineers who are entering the sector now are looking at positions that are entirely different than those they looked at just five years ago,” Gerlock said.