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
- 5 out of 10
- Average hours
- 43/wk
+3h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
- Electrical engineers design, test and commission the equipment that generates, moves and controls electricity, from transmission networks and substations down to the circuits inside a machine.
- It is not the same job as an electrician's: engineers design and specify a system, while electricians install and maintain it, and the two work side by side on site.
- You'll need a four-year engineering degree accredited by Engineers Australia, and some states, Queensland and Victoria among them, require registration for particular kinds of work.
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.
Who you work for matters more than what the role is called: utilities, mining and oil and gas companies usually pay above the consultancies that design buildings and industrial plant, and site or remote roles carry allowances on top of base salary. Registration and chartered status (CPEng) lift what you can ask for, because they let you sign off work an unregistered engineer cannot. Before you decide between two offers, check whether the figure includes site allowances and paid overtime, and whether the employer covers your Engineers Australia fees.
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 by hand before committing them to CAD
- Running load and fault 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 a four-year engineering degree
A Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) takes four years of full-time study and should be accredited by Engineers Australia, so check the accredited program list before choosing where to study. Most courses build in about 12 weeks of industry experience, which counts toward your later chartered assessment.
- 2Get hands-on experience while you study
Vacation work with a utility, consultancy or manufacturer is how most graduates land their first offer, and it teaches you what a drawing looks like once it is built. Time spent alongside electricians on site is worth as much as a good grade average when you apply for a graduate role.
- 3Work toward chartered status
After graduating you complete Engineers Australia's chartered program, which needs several years of supervised practice and a written competency assessment. Chartered status is not mandatory, but many employers and clients expect it before you lead design work.
- 4Register if your state requires it
Queensland requires professional engineers providing certain services to be registered, and Victoria has its own registration scheme for particular building work. Requirements differ by state, so check the rules for wherever you plan to work rather than assuming one national standard.
- 5Alternatively, start as a technician
A TAFE diploma in electrical engineering or a role as an electrical engineering technician or drafter gets you into the industry sooner, often with credit toward a degree later. It takes longer overall to reach engineer-level work, but you earn while you study and arrive with practical knowledge.
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.
- Master of Professional Engineering
A recognised route into this role
Complete an appropriately accredited professional engineering programme in the named discipline. Check jurisdiction registration and practice requirements before undertaking regulated work; the degree alone does not confer registration. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Master of Engineering
A step towards this role
Complete an appropriately accredited professional engineering programme in the named discipline. Check jurisdiction registration and practice requirements before undertaking regulated work; the degree alone does not confer registration. 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.
- Engineering ManagerRecorded move$183,000+$50,200
- Telecommunications EngineerRecorded move$145,400+$12,600
- Mechatronics EngineerRecorded move$143,600+$10,800
- Mechanical EngineerRecorded move$135,900+$3,100
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| 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?
Your week moves between a desk, a test bench and a site, and the mix changes with whatever stage the project is at. Design work means long stretches in calculation and drafting software, checking your own numbers because a mistake is expensive once equipment has been ordered. Site work is noisier and less predictable: you watch a system you designed get built, then work with electricians and contractors when something does not match the drawing. Tracing a fault back through a system until the cause becomes obvious is the part many engineers enjoy most, and needing one project closed before the next begins is the part that wears people down.
What people like
- Watching a design come alive on site. The switch-on and commissioning stage is when drawings turn into something that hums, and you are usually the person who understands why it behaves the way it does.
- Problems with a definite cause. Fault-finding rewards patience and method: you gather symptoms, rule out possibilities and follow the circuit until the answer is clear, and there is rarely ambiguity at the end of it.
- Work that crosses into other industries. The same skills apply to solar farms, mine sites, hospitals, rail signalling and manufacturing plant, so you can change sector without starting again.
- Expertise that people seek out. Once you build a speciality such as protection systems or power electronics, colleagues and clients come to you for answers, which tends to make the work more interesting and better paid.
What people find hard
- Documentation swallows the designing time. Schematics, as-built drawings, standards checks and reports take a large slice of the week, and on some projects you spend more time recording what you did than doing it.
- Construction deadlines you do not control. Dates are often set by a building program or a shutdown window, so late information from a supplier or another trade lands on you, along with the pressure to catch up.
- Sites are not always comfortable. Commissioning can mean heat, dust, noise and travel to remote locations, sometimes on short notice or through a night shutdown.
- Errors are costly and visible. A wrong rating or a missed protection setting can stop a project or damage equipment, so you check and re-check work that a colleague may have to sign off.
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?
Moderate exposure. Not replaced, but changed. AI is taking on some tasks and the rest of the job shifts around them.
Software now does much of the number-crunching behind an electrical design: load-flow and fault studies that once filled a week run in ETAP in minutes, and CAD produces a good share of the documentation. The exposure is moderate, because the field side resists automation, and decisions about what is safe on a particular installation still depend on an engineer who has seen it. For someone entering the field now, learn the design, PLC and drafting tools used in your workplace, and get site time early, since that is where the work is holding.
How a typical week splits
- Drawings and documentation in CAD25% of the week
Schematics, cable schedules and as-built markups are increasingly generated from a model, which cuts drafting hours and shifts effort into checking the model and the inputs.
- Load, fault and protection studies25% of the week
Software handles the calculations and cable sizing once you set the parameters, so your value lies in choosing the right assumptions and spotting a result that cannot be right.
- Testing and commissioning on site30% of the week
Injecting test currents, chasing an earth fault or proving a protection scheme works needs hands on the equipment and a judgement about the installation in front of you.
- Coordination with clients, contractors and regulators20% of the week
Agreeing scope with a builder, explaining a change to a client or answering a network operator's questions depends on trust and negotiation that a system cannot carry.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
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 in Australia?
Electrical engineers earn $132,800 per year before tax at the median for full-time work. Sector, registration and site allowances move that figure further than experience alone, so weigh the whole package and not just the base number.
How do you become an electrical engineer in Australia?
The standard route is a four-year engineering degree accredited by Engineers Australia, followed by supervised work experience and, in some states, registration. A diploma or a start as an electrical engineering technician can lead there too, but the degree is the qualification that allows you to design and take responsibility for electrical work.
Are electrical engineers in demand in Australia?
Electrical engineers are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 21.8% over the decade to 2035. Demand is spread unevenly, so look at which sectors are hiring near you, since utilities, consultancies and manufacturers recruit on different cycles.
Will AI replace electrical engineers?
Expect software to absorb more of the routine calculation and drafting, while commissioning, fault-finding and decisions about what is safe on a particular site stay with engineers. Roles built mostly around producing standard drawings and documents are the most exposed. Learn the design and PLC software your workplace runs, and get site time early.
What can an electrical engineer move into?
Engineering manager is a common step for engineers who want to lead teams instead of designing, and it pays $50,200 more. Mechatronics engineering and telecommunications engineering both build on the same electrical fundamentals, with a short course covering the control or communications side, and their pay sits at $10,800 more and $12,600 more respectively.
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.
Career advice
- The most useful degrees in Australia, by graduate outcomesGraduate employment rates and starting salaries for every study area, from the 2025 Graduate Outcomes Survey, plus which professions are in shortage.
- How to change careers, and which moves are realisticData on 1,573 career moves across 350 Australian occupations shows 63.3% need no more than a short course, though skill overlap alone won't tell you which ones. Six worked examples, and how to check your own move.
- Skills to put on your resume (with skills finder)A resume skills section built for the job you're applying for. Search your occupation to see the specialist skills, tools and general skills it calls for, with worked examples and what to write if you have no work history yet.