The Changing Work Environment for Engineers Today

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One reason for the increased pressures may be competition: 55 percent said the number of competitors is growing and 64 percent said the competitive landscape is global and competes 24x7.

Internally, engineers are facing budgetary constraints (60 percent) and time constraints (69 percent) as well as a shortage of resources (68 percent).

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These conditions may be cause for concern: 44 percent said the pressure to meet deadlines and cut costs is putting product quality at risk. Unfortunately, only 46 percent said technology is helping with their productivity and just 29 percent said that new hires are being brought on board to help with the additional workload.

At the same time, engineers are finding ways to shoulder the load: 55 percent said they frequently or always meet launch dates and product quality standards, and 74 percent frequently or always meet customer satisfaction goals.

Knowledge Drain but Little Knowledge Management

More than one-third of respondents have been in the engineering profession for at least 30 years and 84 percent have been engineers for at least 10 years. Nearly a quarter of respondents said they could retire in the next five years. Thirty-one percent said they were only slightly likely or not at all likely to be employed at the same company five years from now.

The loss of employees will mean the loss of institutional knowledge at these companies. Forty-seven percent of respondents said that knowledge and/or information loss as employees left their companies was very or extremely important. Forty percent said they lose specialized knowledge and expertise faster than they gain it.

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