OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin
Overview
Apply engineering theory and principles to problems of industrial layout or manufacturing production, usually under the direction of engineering staff. May perform time and motion studies on worker operations in a variety of industries for purposes such as establishing standard production rates or improving efficiency.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
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Responsibilities and activities
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians typically do the following:
- Suggest revisions to operation methods, material handling, or equipment layout
- Interpret engineering drawings, schematic diagrams, and formulas
- Confer with management or engineering staff on quality and reliability standards
- Help plan work assignments, considering factors such as machine capabilities and production schedules
- Prepare charts, diagrams, and other graphs to illustrate workflow, routing, floor layouts, how materials are handled, and how machines are used
- Collect data to assist in process improvement activities
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians study the time and steps workers take to do a task (time and motion studies). To set reasonable production rates, they analyze operations such as maintenance, production, and service.
The work of industrial engineering technologists and technicians is versatile and applicable to a variety of projects. For example, in supply chain management, they help businesses minimize inventory costs; in quality assurance, they help with customer satisfaction; and in project management, they help to control costs and maximize efficiencies.
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians generally work on teams under the supervision of industrial engineers.
Manufacturing engineering technologists and technicians work to raise production quality and profitability. By planning, testing, and custom making industrial products, they help engineers improve manufacturing processes and output. They may assess prototypes, analyze machinery performance, or try new production methods.
Salary
Median salary: $57,320 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $45,040 and $71,990.
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for engineering technologists and technicians
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
Number employed
About Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of industrial engineering technologists and technicians who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
- Exposed to Contaminants (62%)
- Hazardous Equipment (54%)
- Time Pressure (54%)
- Consequence of Error (47%)
- Hazardous Conditions (41%)
- Responsible for Others' Health (41%)
- High Conflict Frequency (35%)
- Unpleasant or Angry People (32%)
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Analytical skills
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians assess changes in conditions, operations, and the environment to help industrial engineers figure out how systems should work.
Communication skills
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians must listen carefully to instructions from engineers and must clearly articulate problems to their supervisors.
Critical-thinking skills
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians must identify and correct weaknesses to help industrial engineers solve problems.
Detail oriented
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians must record precisely what they measure and observe.
Math skills
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians use mathematics and statistical techniques to analyze data collected from studies.
Observational skills
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians closely watch the performance of people or organizations so that they can suggest improvements.
Injury and Illness
About 19 industrial engineering technologists and technicians become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 53% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Fractures
Soreness and pain
Sprains, strains, tears
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by industrial engineering technologists and technicians
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), industrial engineering technologists and technicians typically hold a associate's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as engineering technologists and technicians as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for industrial engineering technologists and technicians
High school students interested in becoming industrial engineering technologists and technicians should take courses in math, science, and drafting, where available.
Postsecondary programs in industrial engineering technology are offered at vocational–technical schools, technical institutes, and community colleges. Vocational–technical schools typically award a certificate. Community colleges programs usually lead to associate’s degrees.
Employers may prefer to hire candidates who have completed an engineering or engineering technology program accredited by ABET.
Industrial engineering technologists and technicians may choose to major in applied science, industrial technology, or industrial engineering technology. These programs may include instruction in computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing software, known as CAD/CAM.
Education level of Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Only 20% of engineering technologists and technicians have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by engineering technologists and technicians
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Program
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Engineering Technologists and Technicians per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most industrial engineering technologists and technicians? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as industrial engineering technologists and technicians. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where industrial engineering technologists and technicians earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
- In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for engineering technologists and technicians compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
- Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for engineering technologists and technicians.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which engineering technologists and technicians earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Engineering Technologists and Technicians (ACS for all specialties)
Employment
8% of Engineering technologists and technicians are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 8% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 64% of careers.
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of engineering technologists and technicians by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
Gender
Engineering technologists and technicians and gender
With 19% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 67% of careers.
Gender of Engineering technologists and technicians
Men (81%)
Women (19%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers
in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women
by 19%, and the difference
for engineering technologists and technicians tops that, with the median salary for
men 26% higher than the median
salary for women.
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Engineering technologists and technicians
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Engineering technologists and technicians.
Race/origin of engineering technologists and technicians
White (75% )
Black (9% )
Asian (8% )
Other (3% )
Multiracial (3% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
