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Electronics Engineers, Except Computer

Research, design, develop, or test electronic components and systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use employing knowledge of electronic theory and materials properties. Design electronic circuits and components for use in fields such as telecommunications, aerospace guidance and propulsion control, acoustics, or instruments and controls.

96,900 people do this job in the US. $130,220 a year.

now
5%

of the working time. Estimate.

Kinds of work
  • 79%
  • 12%
  • 9%
10%

Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.

Half the desk work within reach
June 2028

On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.

Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030

0%25%50%75%100%2027202820292030NowDesk work: 79% of the time
Chosen to Ceiling: the share
DateNow
NowEnd of 2030

What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .

At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.

How far this has come

With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 3%. Today's estimate: 5%.

0%5%10%2023202420252026GPT-4, March 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023), November 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4o, May 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (June 2024), June 2024: 0% within reacho1-preview, September 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (Oct 2024), October 2024: 0% within reacho1, December 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.7 Sonnet, February 2025: 0% within reacho3, April 2025: 0% within reachGPT-5, August 2025: 0% within reachGemini 3 Pro, November 2025: 0% within reachClaude Opus 4.5, November 2025: 0% within reachGPT-5.2, December 2025: 0% within reachClaude Opus 4.6, February 2026: 0% within reachClaude Mythos Preview (early), April 2026: 3% within reachToday (estimate), September 2026: 5% within reach
Each step is a new best model measured by METR, four in five; the dashed end is today's estimate. Point at a dot for the model.

A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.

The tasks

Sorted by . 20 tasks from .

TaskKind
Prepare documentation containing information such as confidential descriptions or specifications of proprietary hardware or software, product development or introduction schedules, product costs, or information about product performance weaknesses.Done more than weekly by most who do it. 11%1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week2%Half by Apr 2028
Design electronic components, software, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, medical, military, or scientific applications.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task.11%4.2 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work weeks0%Half by May 2029
Research or develop new green electronics technologies, such as lighting, optical data storage devices, or energy efficient televisions.Done more than yearly by most who do it.11%1.7 work weeks1.7 work days to 1.9 work months0%Half by Dec 2029
Direct or coordinate activities concerned with manufacture, construction, installation, maintenance, operation, or modification of electronic equipment, products, or systems.Done daily by most who do it. 10%6.7 h1.7 h to 4.2 work daysStays with people
Plan or develop applications or modifications for electronic properties used in components, products, or systems to improve technical performance.Done more than yearly by most who do it.8%2.1 work days3.3 h to 2.1 work weeks1%Half by Nov 2028
Develop or perform operational, maintenance, or testing procedures for electronic products, components, equipment, or systems.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 8%1.3 work days2.5 h to 4.2 work daysStays with people
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform electronics engineering tasks.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 8%3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days21%Half by May 2027
Evaluate project work to ensure effectiveness, technical adequacy, or compatibility in the resolution of complex electronics engineering problems.Done daily by most who do it. 6%6.7 h1.7 h to 3.3 work days7%Half by Nov 2027
Prepare necessary criteria, procedures, reports, or plans for successful conduct of the project with consideration given to site preparation, facility validation, installation, quality assurance, or testing.Done more than monthly by most who do it.6%1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week2%Half by Apr 2028
Analyze electronics system requirements, capacity, cost, or customer needs to determine project feasibility.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task.5%1.7 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks2%Half by May 2028
Investigate green consumer electronics applications for consumer electronic devices, power saving devices for computers or televisions, or energy efficient power chargers.Done yearly or less by most who do it.4%4.2 work days6.7 h to 3.3 work weeks0%Half by Apr 2029
Recommend repair or design modifications of electronics components or systems, based on factors such as environment, service, cost, or system capabilities.Done more than yearly by most who do it. 3%5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days15%Half by Jun 2027

Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.

Jobs that share skills with this one

From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.

Where this job works

The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).

Where the most of these jobs are

The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).