Industrial Engineering Career Outlook and Salary

Industrial Engineering Career Outlook and Salary

It is expected that the employment of industrial engineers may grow 5 percent between 2012 and 2022. This is actually a lower expected growth rate than in many other careers, even in other branches of engineering. Industrial engineers are employed in a broad array of settings, and the type of work they do is very varied. Most industrial engineers work in manufacturing as well as in professional, technical, and scientific services. Median wages for industrial engineers in the United States as a whole were $80,300 in 2013, according to ONet. In New York State, the median wage for industrial engineers was $79,800, whereas in Texas the median wage is $91,800. In Florida, the median wage was $68,500. Clearly, different areas of the country pay industrial engineers very differently.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the range between the lowest and highest paid percentages of industrial engineers was $52,000 yearly, or $24.98 hourly, versus $119,500 yearly, or $57.43 hourly as of 2013. Within the profession, the specific industry an individual works in, as well as the tasks they perform and how experienced they are is responsible for these differences.

Depending upon the specific tasks they are performing, industrial engineers work both in offices and in the settings they are working to improve. If they are observing problems, for instance, they may watch workers assemble parts in a factory, or staff performing their functions in hospitals. When solving problems, industrial engineers may work in an office at a computer, where they examine data that they themselves, or others, have gathered. Industrial engineers may need to travel for work in order to observe processes and make assessments in various work settings. In 2012, the industries that employed the greatest number of industrial engineers were: aerospace product and parts manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, architectural, engineering, and related services, motor vehicle parts manufacturing, and management of companies and enterprises. Industrial engineers need good interpersonal skills to be able to work alongside other professionals and serve as a bridge between the technical and business sides of an organization.

Recently, the University of Chicago conducted a study to obtain information about job satisfaction in the United States. Although job and career are not the only determinants of overall happiness and life satisfaction, they do contribute substantially to an individual’s sense of well-being. According to the study, the occupation “industrial engineer” was among the top ten careers associated with general happiness. In fact, it ranked ninth. When compensation for these top-ten careers was examined, “industrial engineers” ranked third.
When looking at the reported reasons for happiness, i.e. creativity, use of expertise, helping others, it is easy to understand why industrial engineers ranked in the top ten careers for happiness. IEs are trained to use quantitative and non-quantitative expertise in creative was to improve processes and products while making jobs easier and more efficient.

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