In a year that has seen continued economic squalls, it comes as no surprise that our survey respondents feel a bit like survivors of a shipwreck. Companies like Enron and Worldcom are struggling to right themselves, contractors such as Boeing continue to toss engineers and workers overboard, and in Silicon Valley, it's no longer a given that if you're laid off, you simply walk down the street to a new job-for some, it's more like walking the plank.

Some 9.2 percent of our readers report being unemployed during the past 12 months. That does not necessarily mean they lack jobs now, but it indicates the turbulence rocking the technology boat. Sixty-five percent of our respondents report their companies have downsized in the past year-the same percentage as last year. Nationally, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a 6.4 percent unemployment rate for EEs in the second quarter, down from the high of 7 percent in the first quarter of this year. That compares with a 5.6 percent rate for all professions in the second quarter.

In Europe, where we sent the survey to French, German and English engineers and designers, about 2.4 percent of the 400 or so respondents spent at least a few weeks on the unemployment rolls during the past 12 months.

IEEE-USA, the U.S. arm of the worldwide technical society, points out, however, that while the percentage of U.S. jobless engineers fell in the second quarter, the number of EEs out of work held steady-about 28,000. So we're not out of the deep water yet.

Altogether, about one-third of our 842 respondents feel less secure in their jobs than last year-an improvement over 2002, when 43 percent of the engineers and managers surveyed felt that way. American readers voted job security/unemployment/job market the top career issue this year, up from No. 3 last year. Only three years ago, at the tail end of the hiring boom of the late '90s, confident, in-demand engineers rated job issues No. 6 on their list of concerns. It's a different story in 2003.

"The economy has made this discipline far too volatile to be very enjoyable, and give any feeling of job security/longevity," one respondent tells us.

"There is nothing in the pipeline once this [project] wraps up," an engineer gloomily observes.

"It used to be that if you were at risk of being let go, you could see it a mile away," a veteran writes. "Previously only consistently poor performers were at risk. Now top performers in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' get let go as whole departments are cut. The company has lost the family atmosphere; it is now strictly focused on how many heads need to be cut to make the numbers for the quarter."

One "very concerned" military/aerospace respondent reports that "the aerospace industry is in another slump with no end in sight. Though we have a lot of work based on military orders, the squeeze for more profit reduces work force, freezes salaries and outsources work."

That writer underscores the fact that the fate of one's job can hinge on such specific indicators as stock prices, business strategy and costs as much as on the state of the general economy.

"It is sobering to know that even the best engineers at our company may be laid off if they are working in a group that the company decides is no longer part of its core business, or requires too much investment or patience for short-term shareholder goals," a respondent said.

Half our readers considered their job security to be about the same as last year. That's not a rousing endorsement of the job picture, but better than in 2002, when 45 percent saw no change. The sense coming from the engineering trenches is that we may have hit bottom, and ever so slowly, we're turning around. "Sales are actually growing," said a hardware engineer. "Growing slowly, but nonetheless growing. We have some money in the bank and things look OK."

"The company is stabilizing," another engineer reports. "The possibility [of a layoff] is getting less."

"Concern was very high a year ago," said a reader. "Situation seems to have stabilized, and we expect modest growth and better revenues in the coming year."

Indeed, some 16 percent of the respondents actually feel more secure in their jobs this year.

"I am on a high-profile project," a reader writes, "and the economy shows good signs of recovery."

"Revenue is starting to recover, and engineering is seen as driving new technologies, which management sees as the key to survival."

"R&D spending is actually up," another writes. "We have lots of work to do and are very busy."

Readers displayed wide-ranging attitudes toward the prospects of layoffs.

"Well, I am single. So I guess I could flip burgers without losing face if nothing else works," said one.

"Not a nice feeling," another said about the possibility of layoffs, "but one you learn to live with. I guess it's a part of today's reality."

A number of engineers thought they'd have no trouble getting a new job if need be. "I feel confident that I could find a comparable position elsewhere quickly . . . but only because I know a lot of people in the industry. Without that network of friends, I would certainly be much more concerned."

"There is no guarantee of a secure job in this world," a philosophical engineer writes. "I got laid off twice in the last 2.5 years. Both times, I got a new and better position within four to eight weeks from layoff." He is lucky-or in high demand.

Among those who experienced unemployment, 40 percent took six months or more to locate a new job. The mean was 3.9 months. Most of the unemployed engineers in this survey came from small companies, and were between the ages of 35 and 49. But it took the most senior engineers-50 years and older-longer to get their new job.

"Whatever your skills are," says one veteran, "once you get over 50, you are almost out of the game. It's like trying to play in an NBA team at [that age]. If you don't learn the newest technologies, you are doomed. But the problem is that you have to compete with youngsters and that's not fair." The average age of our 842 respondents is 42.

At least one correspondent was fortunate in having an employer who offered support after the layoff. "I went through a layoff cycle (five weeks) and then was called back to my exact same job. During that time with the career counselors I was fortunate enough to do the exercises to find that I was in exactly the right place."

To get by, unemployed engineers took a variety of steps. About one-third became consultants, like this reader: "I was laid off in October. That is why I am a consultant." Another 28 percent took a temporary job outside their field, and 14 moved out of state to find work. Incidentally, six managers were among the 77 unemployed respondents, which shows that layoffs can affect people at any level.

On the whole, engineers are loyal workers. Our respondents have been at their employer for an average of 8.8 years, with military/aerospace engineers recording the longest tenures, at 12.7 years. Perhaps reflecting the slump of the last three years, communications engineers and managers come in with the shortest stays, at 6.9 years. While a substantial number of respondents confirmed they want to work for their present employer for "many years," they've switched employers an average of 2.7 times. Some 143 staffers and 24 managers reported having five or more employers so far in their careers, though we don't know how many of those job changes have been forced on them.

Is engineering fun?
Despite the trials and tribulations of working in a volatile industrial environment, engineers love their jobs, their companies and their careers. Eight out of 10 applaud their company as "good to work for." Seven out of 10 are satisfied with both career and job. Why?

For the first time in the 30 years of EE Times salary surveys, we asked a simple question: "Is engineering fun?" A resounding 92 percent of the sample gave their profession a thumbs-up. Here are a few comments:

"Paid to geek out all day? Yes it's fun!"

"It is an art form that allows creation of hardware and software to solve real-world problems. The final products are a combination of experience, science, artistic expression and economic trade-offs."

"Going into someone's house and being able to point to something they're using and say 'I designed that' is fun."

"It's wonderful to hold an idea in your head and then in your hands in a few months or years."

Engineering is more than a job; for some it's an instinct. "Any activity/profession that comes naturally is fun. Most engineers I know simply think that way. They can't help but be engineers. They may not like their particular job, but putting together pieces to solve problems is always fun."

"To be able to make significant changes that impact the product is a great reward," another writer agrees. Engineers have transformed our hospitals, our defense, our homes and our work with their products. Their impact on our lives is remarkable, if sometimes unacknowledged. About 35 percent of this year's sample think companies don't do enough to reward innovation.

While a particular job or situation may frustrate them, those surveyed clearly they love what they do.

"Implementing a successful, quality design and the creative aspect is what keeps me at work. It's too bad that the excess of corporate manure of late is poisoning the creative juices."

Not everyone's happy
"For me, engineering lost its luster after about three to four years of software development work. After mastering a certain set of skills, my curiosity began to decline as I realized that most day-to-day engineering is the art of taming a giant mess." One respondent hit on an aspect of the profession that is frequently heard: "The work itself is fun; the business side is not always so fun."

"The people are what make it fun," said a manager. "Designing stuff is fun. Making something complex work is fun. Solving problems is fun. Supervising other engineers is OK. Making schedules, going to meetings and doing other management functions is not fun."

Asked if they would recommend engineering to their kids, our respondents, by a 3-to-1 margin, said yes. "It's fun and financially rewarding, but I honestly have no idea how to convey that to high schoolers to enter the profession. Face it, compared to other professions, engineering will always be 'hard.' "

Other career issues
Behind the No. 1 career issue of job security comes salaries, with 72 percent rating pay as a key issue, virtually a tie with work/life balance issues. With salaries already covered in our first chapter here, we turn to the struggle by engineers and mangers to strike a balance between the demands of work and family or personal life.

As an EE notes, "There is an expectation for engineers to put in huge working hours way beyond 40 hours per week. With laptops and cell phones, you can't even go to the bathroom without being bothered any more about work."

"We work long hours and are not appreciated," another engineer writes. "Our salesmen are less educated, don't work as many hours and are given much greater reward." He's got plenty of company. To our question, "In addition to your compensation package, do you feel adequately rewarded for your on-the-job efforts?" 46 percent replied, "No."

On average, the survey respondents took about 2.5 weeks of vacation last year and worked 46 hours a week. Managers toiled about 49 hours, staffers just over 45 hours. EEs in the computer field logged in the highest hourly averages, with 49; military/ aerospace engineers the least at 44-probably because the biggest defense contractors often pay overtime, a relative rarity in the commercial world.

About 20 percent of our sample clock more than 50 hours a week. Interestingly, of the seven staffers and managers who endure 70 hour work weeks, five come from small companies, suggesting they may be with startups, which often offer the incentive of partial ownership or stock.

New to our list of career concerns this year is the issue of offshore outsourcing. It debuts at No. 4-high for a new issue. American EEs are increasingly worried about the amount of design work being shipped overseas. "Top management is pushing for more outsourcing in all areas of engineering," reports one engineer. We'll be discussing this issue further in the "Opinion" chapter of this report (see page 52).

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