Will AI replace electronics engineers?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 32m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The other 5h 28m (68%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 3.7% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 4 of 20 tasks, about 2h 32m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Design electronic components, software, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, medical, military, or scientific applications. (1h 28m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Analyze electronics system requirements, capacity, cost, or customer needs to determine project feasibility. (23m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Prepare, review, or maintain maintenance schedules, design documentation, or operational reports or charts. (23m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Provide technical support or instruction to staff or customers regarding electronics equipment standards. (18m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

Not in workplaces like this one, based on a 2026 review of robot deployments. 2 more tasks have only been done in factory setups built around the machine, so they stay with people here.

5h 28m of a typical shift, or 68%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform electronics engineering tasks. (59m a shift)
• Confer with engineers, customers, vendors, or others to discuss existing or potential electronics engineering projects or products. (53m a shift)
• Develop or perform operational, maintenance, or testing procedures for electronic products, components, equipment, or systems. (41m a shift)
• Evaluate project work to ensure effectiveness, technical adequacy, or compatibility in the resolution of complex electronics engineering problems. (35m a shift)
• 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. (23m a shift)

For the 4 tasks in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 5h 51m for a person alone and about 40m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Prepare, review, or maintain maintenance schedules, design documentation, or operational reports or charts (about 9h 8m alone, 43m with AI)
• Analyze electronics system requirements, capacity, cost, or customer needs to determine project feasibility (about 5h 37m alone, 37m with AI)
• Design electronic components, software, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, medical, military, or scientific applications (about 6h 4m alone, 1h 6m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Electrical Engineering sector are at 153% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 32.4% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 4,900 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $130,220 a year ($62.60 an hour), 155% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $81,840 and $206,960 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 3.7% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 102,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 4,900 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 97,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.06% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 279th largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 102,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 83% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Technology Design, Operations Analysis, Systems Analysis, Mathematics
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 28m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: The MathWorks MATLAB, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Apache Subversion SVN
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills, with less of a typical shift touched by AI or robots. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Photonics Engineers (58m touched, $123k median pay)
• Microsystems Engineers (50m touched, $123k median pay)
• Fuel Cell Engineers (0m touched, $104k median pay)
• Mechatronics Engineers (0m touched, $123k median pay)
• Computer Hardware Engineers (1h 7m touched, $162k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 4 observed in real AI use, 16 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.