Electrical Engineer
Electrical engineers design the systems that generate, carry and control electricity, from transmission networks down to the circuits inside a single machine.
- Median salary
- $132,800
4.2%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 33,100
2.2%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +21.8%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 43/wk
+3h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Electrical engineers apply physics and mathematics to design, test and commission equipment such as power networks, motors, control systems and electronic devices, checking each design against Australian Standards and safety rules. The work sits close to an electrician's but is not the same job: engineers design and specify a system, while electricians install and maintain it on site, and the two work together through construction and commissioning. Most work for engineering consultancies, electricity and water utilities, or manufacturers, and the week usually splits between an office, a test bench and a site.
How much do electrical engineers earn?
The median full-time salary for an electrical engineer is $132,800 per annum, before tax, up $28,000 since 2018.
Pay moves most with the sector you work in: resources, utilities and defence generally pay above general building consultancies, and remote or site-based roles add allowances on top of the base. Registration requirements differ between states, and holding the registration your state asks for or Engineers Australia chartership can change what you're offered for the same design work. Many utility and government engineers are covered by enterprise agreements, so their increases follow the agreement rather than individual negotiation.
What does an electrical engineer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Sketching circuits and systems by hand before committing them to CAD
- Running load and power calculations to check a design will hold up under real demand
- Testing equipment on the bench against the relevant standard, not just the spec sheet
- Writing schematics and documentation precise enough for someone else to build from
- Attending site during commissioning to watch a design switch on and sort out what comes up
What skills do electrical engineers need?
Employers look for engineering design and analysis, cAD and technical drawing, project engineering and delivery, backed by MATLAB fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- Engineering design and analysis
- CAD and technical drawing
- Project engineering and delivery
- Regulatory compliance
- Project management
- Field inspection and testing
Software and tools
- MATLAB
- AutoCAD
- ETAP
- Multisim
- PLC programming software
General skills
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 33,100 people work as electrical engineers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 21.8% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become an electrical engineer?
Here's the path most electrical engineers take, step by step.
- 1Complete an accredited engineering degree
A Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in electrical or electrical and electronic engineering takes four years of full-time study and needs Engineers Australia accreditation if you want to register later. It covers circuit theory, power systems, control and mathematics, with electives that let you lean towards power, electronics or automation as you work out which suits you.
- 2Get industry experience while you study
Accredited degrees require a period of practical exposure, usually about 12 weeks, which most students meet through vacation work, an internship or a cadetship with a consultancy, utility or manufacturer. It is paid in most cases and often turns into your first graduate offer.
- 3Start in a graduate program or entry-level role
Consultancies, utilities, manufacturers and government agencies run structured graduate programs that rotate you through design, site and testing work. Those first two or three years build the judgement that design software cannot give you.
- 4Register in your state and work towards chartership
Some engineering work requires statutory registration, and the rules differ between states, so check what yours requires before you practise. Engineers Australia's Chartered status (CPEng) comes after roughly four to five years of experience and a competency assessment, and employers often expect it for senior roles.
- 5Coming from a trade or technician background
Electricians and electrical engineering technicians can enter through a degree, and some universities give credit for prior study. A diploma in electrical engineering is a shorter route into design and testing support work if a full degree isn't practical yet, with the option to upskill later.
Study routes we have checked
Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) (Honours)
A recognised route into this role
Complete an appropriately accredited professional-engineering programme in the named discipline. Engineering technologist and associate awards are different routes. Check jurisdiction registration and practice requirements before undertaking regulated work. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Electrical and Electronic)
A recognised route into this role
Complete an appropriately accredited professional-engineering programme in the named discipline. Engineering technologist and associate awards are different routes. Check jurisdiction registration and practice requirements before undertaking regulated work. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Electrical Engineering)
A recognised route into this role
Complete an appropriately accredited professional-engineering programme in the named discipline. Engineering technologist and associate awards are different routes. Check jurisdiction registration and practice requirements before undertaking regulated work. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Electrical and Electronics)
A recognised route into this role
Complete an appropriately accredited professional-engineering programme in the named discipline. Engineering technologist and associate awards are different routes. Check jurisdiction registration and practice requirements before undertaking regulated work. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Ready to apply as an electrical engineer?
Whether you're working toward becoming an electrical engineer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an electrical engineer move to?
Moving into Engineering Manager typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $50,200 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Manager Electrical engineers move into engineering management, leading technical teams and projects while applying design and systems expertise.Known move | +$50,200 | 23% | requalify |
| Telecommunications Engineer Telecommunications engineers apply electrical principles to network and signal systems, with a short course covering specific communications technologies.Known move | +$12,600 | 58% | short course |
| Mechatronics Engineer Mechatronics engineers build on electrical knowledge in control systems and automation, needing only a short course to bridge disciplines.Known move | +$10,800 | 54% | short course |
| Mechanical Engineer Mechanical engineers share core engineering design and analysis skills, though reskilling is needed for mechanical systems and thermodynamics.Known move | +$3,100 | 44% | reskill |
| Civil Engineer Civil engineers use overlapping project and design skills, with minimal retraining needed to apply electrical expertise to infrastructure projects.Known move | −$17,500 | 67% | minimal |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an electrical engineer?
The typical electrical engineer is 35 years old; 87% are men, 92% work full-time, and full-timers average 43 hours a week.
- 35
- Median age
- 13%
- Female share
- 92%
- Full-time
- +3h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an electrical engineer?
Electrical engineering runs on a long project rhythm: months of design, calculation and documentation, then concentrated bursts on site during testing and commissioning. The pressure comes from being the person who has to be right about how a system behaves, often while other trades and a client's schedule wait on your answer. Engineers who enjoy it tend to like problems with a definite answer and are comfortable moving between a computer model and real equipment.
What people like
- Seeing a design switch on. Commissioning is the moment months of drawings and calculations turn into equipment that runs, and you are standing there when it does.
- Problems that only show up in the field. Faults rarely follow the textbook, and tracing one through a control panel or a protection system is the part of the job many engineers find most absorbing.
- Work that alternates between desk and site. The week moves between modelling, writing specifications and standing in a switchroom, which suits people who don't want to spend every day at a screen.
- Clear rules to design against. Australian Standards and the wiring rules set a definite target, so you know when a design is right rather than merely tidy.
What people find hard
- Documentation grows around every design. Specifications, compliance reports, as-built drawings and client revisions take up a large share of the week, and few people go into the job for that part.
- Site work reshuffles your plans. Commissioning dates slip, travel is often at short notice, and days set aside for design disappear into site meetings and waiting for another trade to finish.
- Late changes mean redoing the work. A client moves a switchboard or a load grows, and the calculations, drawings and approvals all have to be redone to suit.
- The consequences of a mistake are visible. An undersized cable or a missed protection setting can stop a plant or create a safety risk, so design decisions get checked and rechecked.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ electrical engineers?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of electrical engineers, followed by Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services
- 3Manufacturing
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 57.4% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 25.1% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 8.3% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 4.7% | |
| Year 12 or below | 2.7% |
Will AI replace electrical engineers?
Electrical engineering sits in the middle. Software now runs the load flow studies, simulations and much of the drafting, so the tool work that once filled a junior engineer's week has shrunk, while the decisions about what to build, how it should behave and whether it is safe remain with the engineer. Site testing and commissioning are the least touched, because they depend on being in the switchroom with the equipment in front of you.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Testing, commissioning and fault-finding on siteWorking out why a protection relay tripped while the plant is down and a production manager is waiting is not something a model can do for you.30%low
- Power system and load calculationsETAP and MATLAB run the load flow and fault studies, so the work shifts to setting up the model, checking the assumptions and interpreting what comes back.25%high
- Schematics, layouts and documentationCAD tools generate much of the drawing set and standard blocks, but an engineer still decides what a drawing has to show and checks the detail before it goes out.25%high
- Design decisions and compliance sign-offChoosing a protection scheme or a cable rating means weighing the standard, the site conditions and the cost of downtime, then signing your name to it.20%moderate
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from electrical engineer work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Civil Engineer
High skill overlap (67%), little retraining to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming an electrical engineer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do electrical engineers earn?
$132,800 per annum, before tax, for full-time work, as a guide. Sector shifts that figure more than most people expect: resources, utilities and defence pay above general building consultancies, and site-based or remote roles carry allowances on top.
How do you become an electrical engineer?
You complete a four-year accredited engineering degree, get some industry experience during it, then start in a graduate or entry-level role. Registration rules vary by state, and Engineers Australia chartership usually follows a few years into the job.
Are electrical engineers in demand?
Electrical engineers are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 21.8% over the decade to 2035. When you are weighing up whether to enter the field, the current picture tells you more than the decade-long projection, which looks further ahead.
Will AI replace electrical engineers?
It is taking over parts of the job rather than the whole of it. Software such as ETAP and MATLAB already handles much of the load flow and fault study work and CAD generates most of the drawing set, which frees time for choosing a system, interpreting standards and finding a fault on site. Engineers who can question what a tool produces get more from it.
What can an electrical engineer move into?
Engineering management is a common step, leading technical teams, with a pay difference of $50,200 more. The systems knowledge also carries across to mechatronics or telecommunications engineering with a short course, and some engineers set up their own consultancy or contracting business, which is often where earnings grow.
What hours do electrical engineers work?
43 hours a week is average for full-time electrical engineers, and 92% work full time. Site and commissioning phases bring longer days and some travel, while design-heavy roles stay closer to standard office hours.
Related roles
- Engineering Manager
- Mechatronics Engineer
- Telecommunications Engineer
- Civil Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Electrician
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.