5
Employment distribution
The central Puget Sound has a high concentration of engineers and ar-chitects. The relative concentrations, as represented by location quotients, are most notable in Snohomish (2.96) and Kitsap Counties (2.37).
About two-thirds of the region’s engineers and architects work in two broad groups of industries: professional services and transportation equip-ment manufacturing. Civil engineers are heavily employed in the technical
Jobs Location
quotient Median
hourly wage Central Puget
Sound region 61,828 1.83 $36.29
Distribution by county King 1.82 $36.33
Kitsap 2.37 $36.81
Pierce 0.71 $31.81
Snohomish 2.96 $37.29
Figure 5.2 Employment overview, 2011
High-scoring engineering & architecture occupations
Professional, scientific, &
technical services 34.3%
Transportation equipment mfg
32.3%
Federal govt, civilian*
6.8%
Computer &
electronics mfg 5.3%
State govt 4.1%
Local govt
3.0% Rest
14.2%
Source: EMSI Complete Employment; TIP Strategies.
7% 64%
6%
23%
Selected occupations (SOC code) Primary industry (NAICS code) Share of
occupation Secondary industry (NAICS code) Share of occupation Aerospace engineers (17-2011) Aircraft manufacturing (336411) 78% Other aircraft parts & auxiliary equip mfg (336413) 9%
Civil engineers (17-2051) Engineering services (541330) 47% State government (920000) 16%
Electrical engineers (17-2071) Aircraft manufacturing (336411) 23% Engineering services (541330) 18%
Electronics engineers, except computer (17-2072) Aircraft manufacturing (336411) 23% Federal govt., civilian, except postal svc. (911000) 12%
Industrial engineers (17-2112) Aircraft manufacturing (336411) 52% Other aircraft parts & auxiliary equip mfg (336413) 6%
Mechanical engineers (17-2141) Aircraft manufacturing (336411) 35% Engineering services (541330) 15%
Electrical and electronic eng. techs. (17-3023) Federal govt., civilian, except postal svc. (911000) 15% Aircraft manufacturing (336411) 12%
Figure 5.3b Largest source of employment by industry for selected occupations
services sector, while large shares of aerospace, electrical, electronics, industrial, and mechanical engineers find work in aircraft manufacturing.
Kitsap County employs a relatively large share of the region’s engineering technicians and marine engineers/naval architects. Snohomish County has strengths in aerospace engineers and technicians. King County’s high concentrations are in civil, biomedical, and environmental engineering.
Figure 5.3 Distribution of high-scoring engineering &
architecture occupations across industries a
Source: EMSI Complete Employment; TIP Strategies. * Excludes postal service.
Source: EMSI Complete Employment; TIP Strategies.
SOC code Title Employment LQ
17-2051 Civil engineers 8,187 2.16
17-2199 Engineers, all other 6,633 2.67
17-2011 Aerospace engineers 6,061 6.11
17-2141 Mechanical engineers 4,588 1.44
17-2112 Industrial engineers 4,008 1.38
17-1011 Architects, except landscape and naval 3,642 1.64
17-2072 Electronics engineers, except computer 3,598 1.95
17-3029 Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other 2,549 2.74
17-2071 Electrical engineers 2,517 1.23
17-3011 Architectural and civil drafters 2,307 1.63
17-3023 Electrical and electronic engineering technicians 1,827 0.89
17-3013 Mechanical drafters 1,666 1.68
17-3022 Civil engineering technicians 1,352 1.23
17-3026 Industrial engineering technicians 1,250 1.42
17-3031 Surveying and mapping technicians 1,236 1.28
17-2131 Materials engineers 1,186 3.81
17-2061 Computer hardware engineers 1,004 1.12
17-1012 Landscape architects 998 2.53
17-3012 Electrical and electronics drafters 961 2.27
17-3027 Mechanical engineering technicians 934 1.63
17-2081 Environmental engineers 861 1.26
17-3019 Drafters, all other 844 2.77
17-1022 Surveyors 697 1.00
17-2161 Nuclear engineers 567 1.99
17-3021 Aerospace engineering and operations technicians 464 4.40
17-2031 Biomedical engineers 396 1.74
17-2121 Marine engineers and naval architects 280 2.49
17-1021 Cartographers and photogrammetrists 271 1.60
2011 Regional
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
King Kitsap Pierce Snohomish
Figure 5.4 Distribution of employment by county for high-scoring engineering & architecture occupations Ranked by 2011 employment in the four-county central Puget Sound region, with location quotient (LQ)
100 65 42 41 40 33 17 14 14 9 0
500 1000
Electrical engineers Aerospace engineers Civil engineers Mechanical engineers Electronics engineers, except computer Industrial engineers Computer hardware engineers Architects, except landscape and naval Biomedical engineers Engineers, all other
17-2071 17-2011 17-2051 17-2141 17-2072 17-2112 17-2061 17-1011 17-2031 17-2199 Average annual openings 2011-2015 (projected)
H1B visa applications 2010
Employment trends
Figure 5.5 H1B visa applications, 2010
Leading engineering & architecture occupations for H1B apps
Figure 5.6 Annual percent change in employment for selected occupations, 2001-2011 Within this occupational group, electrical and aerospace
engi-neers represented the highest number of H1B visa applications filed. Over the past decade, the region's engineering occupations have experienced relatively wide swings in their job prospects.
The largest annual percentage shifts in employment have come for aerospace engineers and industrial engineers. The decade started with several years of significant job losses for both oc-cupations, followed by several years of equally dramatic job gains before the onset of the recession in late 2008.
Regional job openings for civil engineers are expected to be a mix of both new and replacement slots over the next five years.
For most other occupations in this group, growth will come largely through replacement. The projection for aerospace engineers shows a slight decline in new demand. However, this should be taken in context since the projections were prepared prior to recent good news for the aerospace sector. The most significant development is the negotiated labor contract between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which will secure future production of the 737 Max in Renton. Recent orders for aircraft such as the 787, 777, and 747-8, as well as the shifting of some jobs from Boeing’s defense facility in Wichita to the region should also bolster future hiring.
Source: EMSI Complete Employment - 2011.2; US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification; TIP Strategies.
Source: EMSI Complete Employment - 2011.2; TIP Strategies.
Figure 5.7 Estimated annual demand for high-scoring engineering & architecture occupations, 2011-2015 Estimated number of job openings to meet demand from new and replacement jobs
SOC code Title
Average annual openings 2011-2015
17-2051 Civil engineers 270
17-2199 Engineers, all other 143
17-2011 Aerospace engineers 133
17-2141 Mechanical engineers 127
17-2112 Industrial engineers 125
17-2072 Electronics engineers, except computer 88
17-1011 Architects, except landscape and naval 85
17-2071 Electrical engineers 60
17-3029 Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other 60
17-3011 Architectural and civil drafters 55
17-3022 Civil engineering technicians 43
17-3023 Electrical and electronic engineering technicians 42
17-3031 Surveying and mapping technicians 40
17-2061 Computer hardware engineers 38
17-2131 Materials engineers 37
17-3013 Mechanical drafters 36
17-2081 Environmental engineers 34
17-1012 Landscape architects 31
17-2031 Biomedical engineers 30
17-3026 Industrial engineering technicians 27
17-1022 Surveyors 24
17-3012 Electrical and electronics drafters 21
17-2161 Nuclear engineers 20
17-3019 Drafters, all other 19
17-3027 Mechanical engineering technicians 18
17-1021 Cartographers and photogrammetrists 12
17-3021 Aerospace engineering and operations technicians 9
17-3025 Environmental engineering technicians 9
17-2041 Chemical engineers 8
100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
(+) / (-) New demand Replacement
96%
Electrical engineers (17-2071 )
Electronics engineers, except computer (17-2072)
Industrial engineers (17-2112)
Mechanical engineers (17-2141)
Electrical and electronic engineering technicians (17-3023)
Electrical engineers (17-2071 )
Electronics engineers, except computer (17-2072)
Industrial engineers (17-2112)
Mechanical engineers (17-2141)
Electrical and electronic engineering technicians (17-3023)
19-24 25-44 45-64 65+
Median wages for engineering and architecture occupations tend to be relatively high, although there is a wide range among individual occupations. Specialty engineers in fields like computer hardware or materials command some of the highest median wages in the group ($44-$48/hour).
EMSI's regional occupational demographics, derived from the federal Local Employment Dynamics series, depicts a labor force that is overwhelmingly male (87%) and nearing retirement, with more than half (58%) of the group in the 45 to 64 age range. For some occupa-tions—notably aerospace engineers—these percentages are even more extreme: 96 percent are estimated to be male, with nearly three in four (73%) in the 45 to 64 age bracket.
Civil engineers are thought to have the highest share of senior workers, with an estimated 7 percent of the workforce above age 65.
However, the occupation also had the highest share of young workers among those profiled, with 45 percent estimated to be less than 45 years old.
Figure 5.8 Age, gender, and earnings
For high-scoring engineering & architecture occupations in the central Puget Sound region
Figure 5.9 Age and gender distribution* for selected occupations
These individual occupations are male-dominated and have a large share of older workers
Source: EMSI Complete Employment; TIP Strategies. *Workforce demographics shown in this section are preliminary figures prepared by EMSI using data from the Local Employ-ment Dynamics series (LED). LED is produced through a partnership between state labor market information agencies and the US Census Bureau. (Figures 5.8 and 5.9)
Median hourly wage, 2011
Male
SOC code Title
Median hourly
wage
17-2061 Computer hardware engineers $ 47.52
17-2131 Materials engineers $ 43.79
17-2072 Electronics engineers, except computer $ 43.14
17-2011 Aerospace engineers $ 42.92
17-2199 Engineers, all other $ 42.70
17-2041 Chemical engineers $ 41.10
17-2161 Nuclear engineers $ 40.01
17-2081 Environmental engineers $ 39.83
17-2071 Electrical engineers $ 39.78
17-2141 Mechanical engineers $ 39.58
17-2112 Industrial engineers $ 38.49
17-2121 Marine engineers and naval architects $ 38.16
17-2051 Civil engineers $ 36.39
17-2111 Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors $ 35.84
17-2031 Biomedical engineers $ 35.60
17-1022 Surveyors $ 34.75
17-3029 Engineering technicians, except drafters, all other $ 33.67
17-1021 Cartographers and photogrammetrists $ 32.34
17-3012 Electrical and electronics drafters $ 31.36
17-3013 Mechanical drafters $ 31.07
17-3026 Industrial engineering technicians $ 30.65
17-1011 Architects, except landscape and naval $ 29.39
17-1012 Landscape architects $ 28.71
17-3021 Aerospace engineering and operations technicians $ 28.43
17-3027 Mechanical engineering technicians $ 28.09
17-3024 Electro-mechanical technicians $ 27.98
$0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50 $60 $70 $80
Figure 5.10 Current median hourly wages in the context of the national wage range Ranked by median hourly wage in 2011
Bar represents national hourly wage range from 10th to 90th percentiles; line represents median hourly wage for the occupation in the four-county central Puget Sound region
Share of total awards by level
Institution
Total
awards < 2 years ≥ 2 years Bachelor Advanced University of Washington
Seattle 1,043 67% 33%
Olympic College 629 55% 45%
Seattle University 53 100%
Green River Community
College 51 63% 37%
Lake Washington Institute
of Technology 50 36% 64%
Figure 5.11 Top five institutions
Ranked by number of awards (completions) in engineering &
architecture-related fields of study, 2009
Education & training
The Puget Sound region offers multiple sources of education in engineering and architecture, with the majority of degree completion occurring at the University of Washington, a research institution.
However Washington State University, also a research institution, is now offering a BS in mechanical engineering through its partnership with Olympic College in Bremerton, and will be offering a mechanical engineering degree in the fall of 2012 through its partnership with Everett Community College.
UW Seattle is the region’s sole source for aerospace engineering degrees (Figure 5.12), according to completions reported to the Na-tional Center for Education Statistics, with 72 degrees awarded in this field during the period analyzed. This figure is significantly less than the projected number of workers needed to replace those expected to exit the occupation over the next five years due to retirement or career changes (Figure 5.9).
Figure 5.12 Top institutions for selected occupations
Based on number of for-credit completions in related fields of study in 2009
86%
6% 5%
Rest 3%
17-2071 Electrical engineers 277 completions
Univ. of Washington-Seattle Seattle Pacific University Seattle University
89%
11%
17-2051 Civil engineers 203 completions
Univ. of Washington-Seattle Seattle University
79%
8%
6% Rest 7%
17-2141 Mechanical engineers 192 completions
Univ. of Washington-Seattle Seattle University Everett Community College 100%
17-2011 Aerospace engineers 72 completions
Univ. of Washington-Seattle
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Data System; National Crosswalk Service Center; US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS); TIP Strategies. (Figures 5.11 and 5.12)
SOC
code Title Typical level of education and training required to be fully qualified Award of < 1 academic year Award of at least 1 but < 2 academic yrs. Associate's degree Award of at least 2 but < 4 academic yrs. Bachelor's degree Postbaccalaureate certificate Master's degree Post-master's certificate Doctor's/First professional degree Total completions in related fields of study (2008-2009)
17-3026 Industrial engineering technicians
48317-3011 Architectural and civil drafters
38117-2071 Electrical engineers
27717-2072 Electronics engineers, except computer
27717-2051 Civil engineers
20317-2141 Mechanical engineers
19217-3023 Electrical and electronic engineering technicians
12617-3019 Drafters, all other
10417-1011 Architects, except landscape and naval
8717-2041 Chemical engineers
7317-2011 Aerospace engineers
7217-2061 Computer hardware engineers
6217-2031 Biomedical engineers
5817-2131 Materials engineers
4417-2112 Industrial engineers
4317-1012 Landscape architects
3217-1021 Cartographers and photogrammetrists
2317-1022 Surveyors
2317-3031 Surveying and mapping technicians
2317-2199 Engineers, all other
2117-3025 Environmental engineering technicians
18
Figure 5.13 Postsecondary completions in fields of study related to high-scoring engineering & architecture occupations Includes all levels of degrees and awards conferred for credit between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009
Less than 10 completions 10 to 49 completions 50 to 99 completions 100 to 249 completions More than 250 completions
Washington/
Baltimore
Puget Sound Austin
Bay Area Boston
Charleston
Raleigh/
Durham DiegoSan
-50%
-30%
-10%
10.0%
30.0%
50.0%
0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% 6.0% 7.0% 8.0%
employment growth (%), 2001-2011
share (%) of regional employment total, 2011
Peer regions
Figure 5.14 Peer comparisons: engineering & architecture Size of high-scoring occupations as a group (bubble), share of total employment, and historic growth trends among peer regions
Source: EMSI Complete Employment - 2011.2; TIP Strategies.
As a group, high-scoring occupations in engineering and architecture make up about 2 percent to 3 percent of the regional job base in the central Puget Sound region and its US peer regions. (Figure 5.14)
The central Puget Sound region’s location quotients for selected engineering fields like aerospace (6.11), civil (2.16), and electronics (1.95) are all extraordinarily high. Even relative to the concentration of these occupations among its peers, many of the Puget Sound’s LQs stand out.
Given the struggles faced by the aerospace industry over the past several years, the loss of momentum in the region’s LQ for aerospace engineers is to be expected. In contrast, Charleston's current LQ (0.46) is moving upward, but from a very low base (Figure 5.15). As stated previously, recent positive developments in the industry are likely to make current projections for these occupations outdated.
Figure 5.15 Peer comparisons for selected occupations in engineering & architecture group
Historic (2001-2011) and projected (2011-2021) trends in employment change and concentration (location quotients)
17-2011 Aerospace engineers 17-2051 Civil engineers 17-2072 Electronics engineers, except computer Employment
change (%) Location
quotients Employment
change (%) Location
quotients Employment
change (%) Location
quotients historic projected 2011 historic projected historic projected 2011 historic projected historic projected 2011 historic projected
Puget Sound -4.1% -6.2% 6.11 13.9% 14.1% 2.16 -11.9% 2.5% 1.95
Austin 13.9% 18.1% 0.93 28.4% 25.2% 1.41 -28.6% -0.2% 2.60
Bay Area -0.9% 11.4% 2.56 -8.1% 14.8% 1.66 -36.6% 2.1% 3.19
Boston -4.6% 10.0% 0.71 -6.6% 13.8% 1.34 -27.2% 1.2% 1.50
Charleston 175.0% 51.9% 0.46 59.4% 42.8% 1.40 41.7% 19.3% 1.69
Raleigh/Durham 42.1% 27.4% 0.31 17.2% 17.9% 1.61 -24.4% 15.3% 2.10
San Diego 12.8% 10.5% 2.03 12.8% 10.6% 1.36 -10.2% 6.1% 2.59
Washington/
Baltimore 16.0% 8.5% 1.72 15.0% 21.0% 1.41 -1.5% 4.8% 1.58
up more than 5% stable (within 5%) down more than 5%
Source: EMSI Complete Employment - 2011.2; TIP Strategies.
Figure 6.1 High-scoring healthcare practitioners occupations RNs comprise a major share of healthcare practitioner employment
Occupational Score
SOC code Title
Region King Kitsap Pierce Snohomish
98 98 98 98 96 29-1011 Chiropractors
98 98 74 76 98 29-1121 Audiologists
98 83 98 98 98 29-1131 Veterinarians
98 58 91 76 98 29-2099 Healthcare technologists and technicians, all other 96 96 89 89 81 29-1031 Dietitians and nutritionists
96 96 87 96 74 29-1081 Podiatrists
96 89 96 96 81 29-2032 Diagnostic medical sonographers 91 91 76 98 83 29-1071 Physician assistants
91 91 51 91 76 29-1199 Health diagnosing and treating practitioners, all other 91 91 98 76 91 29-2021 Dental hygienists
91 91 91 98 91 29-9011 Occupational health and safety specialists 89 89 49 74 49 29-1129 Therapists, all other
83 76 76 83 83 29-1069 Physicians and surgeons 83 83 83 98 76 29-1111 Registered nurses 83 83 91 91 98 29-1123 Physical therapists 83 83 83 83 83 29-1126 Respiratory therapists
83 83 83 98 83 29-2011 Medical and clinical laboratory technologists 83 83 83 83 83 29-2031 Cardiovascular technologists and technicians 83 83 43 83 76 29-2055 Surgical technologists
83 83 76 76 83 29-9099 Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other 81 81 79 96 81 29-2033 Nuclear medicine technologists
81 81 81 81 81 29-2034 Radiologic technologists and technicians
76 83 72 76 74 29-1041 Optometrists
76 83 76 83 91 29-1051 Pharmacists
Twenty-seven occupations within the major group, Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (29-0000), were selected for analysis based on the scor-ing criteria described in chapter 1. The largest of these is registered nurses, with more than 33,000 employed in the four-county region—well above the next largest group, physicians and surgeons which accounted for just under 10,000 jobs (Figure 6.4).
Like other occupational groups analyzed in this report, regional wage rates for healthcare practitioners surpass national levels by approximately $5/hour. Median hourly wage rates for the region's dental professions (dentists and dental hygienists) are dramatically higher than for their US counterparts, with regional medians (the 50th percentile) that exceed or nearly exceed the 90th percentile for the nation.
The region's network of higher education providers granted more than 1,600 degrees and awards in coursework to pre-pare students for registered nursing positions. This figure slightly exceeds the projected average annual demand for RNs from both new growth and replacement (1,545).
Other occupations where the local educational pipeline may not be providing sufficient supply include pharmacists (106 completions in related fields of study versus projected average annual demand of 126) and physical therapists (60 completions, average annual demand of 129).