Electrical engineer
Also called electric engineer, electricity engineer, senior electrical engineer
Electrical engineers design and develop electrical systems, electrical equipment, components, motors, and equipment with the feature of energy transmission. They engage in large scale projects such as the design and maintenance of power stations, and the distribution of power to smaller applications such as household appliances.
What you'd do
Electrical engineers · ILO- Advising on and designing power stations and systems which generate, transmit and distribute electrical power
- Supervising, controlling and monitoring the operation of electrical generation, transmission and distribution systems
- Advising on and designing systems for electrical motors, electrical traction and other equipment, or electrical domestic appliances
- Specifying electrical installation and application in industrial and other buildings and objects
- Establishing control standards and procedures to monitor performance and safety of electrical generating and distribution systems, motors and equipment
- Determining manufacturing methods for electrical systems, as well as maintenance and repair of existing electrical systems, motors and equipment
- Indoors
- Sitting most of the day
- Lots of contact with people
- Good freedom to decide
- Often more than 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects16 EU countries are short of electrical engineers now, and many jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
Above averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €2,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €7,100 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among professionals in the EU, women earn 21% less per hour than men. Professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually a degreeA degree in electricity and energy is the usual route.
949 institutions in the EU offer engineering bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.31 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 6 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for electrical engineers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).