The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provides the following employment outlooks for engineering technicians by specialty from 2018 to 2028:

Aerospace engineering and operations: +4 percent. Demand will occur as technicians are needed to help redesign aircraft to reduce noise pollution and to raise fuel efficiency. Technicians will also be in demand by unmanned aerial systems manufacturers and civilian space companies.
Civil engineering technicians: +5 percent. The need to repair the country's infrastructure (bridges, roads, etc.), demand for more waste treatment facilities, and emerging job opportunities in renewable energy will fuel demand in this specialty.
Environmental engineering technicians: +9 percent. The DOL reports that "state and local governments are expected to focus their efforts and resources on efficient water use, storm water management, and wastewater treatment over the next decade. These areas of emphasis should serve to increase demand. The demand for more environmental technicians by consulting firms will arise as governments and larger firms look to reduce costs."
Electrical and electronics engineering technicians: 0 percent. Fewer opportunities in manufacturing and with federal government agencies will dampen demand. Employment prospects will be better in the computer systems design services industry.
Industrial engineering technicians: -1 percent. The DOL reports that employment opportunities will be weak "because of the projected decreases in employment in the manufacturing industries in which these technicians work, such as computer and electronic product manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, and primary metal manufacturing."
Mechanical engineering technicians: +3 percent. Job opportunities in manufacturing are expected to decline by 1 percent, while employment for those in professional, scientific, and technical services is projected to grow 8.1 percent.

In many specialties, computer-aided design is allowing individual technicians to increase productivity, thereby limiting job growth. Additionally, some companies are building factories and research facilities abroad to reduce costs. This trend will most negatively affect employment for technicians in electronics- and computer-related specialties. Moving jobs out of the country is harder to do in environmental and civil specialties, which means that employment will be better for technicians in these fields.

Those with training in sophisticated technologies, certification, and degrees in technology will have the best employment opportunities.

Engineering Technicians

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