Despite a strong jobs report in Q1 of 2013, a new survey by Randstad Engineering shows a slight dip in confidence among U.S. engineering employees. The index of 112 workers was 54.9 this quarter, reflecting a drop of 2.9 points. In addition, a mere 26% of surveyed engineering workers believe the economy is improving, compared with 34% of workers polled in Q4 of 2012.
While statistics were lower, the survey also revealed a variety of positive statistics. Engineering professionals had the highest confidence of any surveyed industry, including IT, administrative, and manufacturing. A vast majority of engineering workers (73%, compared with Q4 2012's 68%) also believe they won't lose their jobs over the next year.
According to Richard Zambacca, president of Randstad Engineering, "The engineering field is looking so positive that a recent U.S. News and World Report article heralded engineering as the new 'it' degree, [and] the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the current population of about 263,000 civil engineers across the nation will grow 19% by 2020."
