Engineering has long been essential in driving human development, and as our world continues to change and evolve, engineers remain in-demand. Predictions by organizations such as the U.S. Department of Labor suggest that engineering is not only set to remain in-demand for the foreseeable future, certain engineering sectors are set to experience healthy growth. Professionals in more traditional engineering fields such as civil and petroleum are still sought after, but it’s thought the fastest growing areas are those in the IT sphere. As businesses all over the world are investing in systems and processes intended to improve our lives, career opportunities including everything from robotics and data to aerospace and biomedicine are on the up.

In the words of Albert Einstein, “Scientists investigate that which already is. Engineers create that which has never been.” As technology continues to develop, this has never been more true - it’s a hugely exciting time for engineers, with lucrative job opportunities on offer for skilled professionals. We take a look at some of the latest roles and emerging fields within engineering.

Software engineering is a field that has become hugely popular, with the rise of cloud technologies, mobile computing and digital development. We expect to see growing career opportunities for software engineers, and particularly those with skills in mobile and cyber-security.

As a subset of software engineering, you can also expect data science to grow as well. As operations become automated and the collection of data is made quicker and easier, companies will need data science engineers with backgrounds in software and statistics, who can aggregate and analyse data in a meaningful way.

With climate change firmly on the global agenda and a growing concern for many, more and more businesses are driving resource into finding environmentally-friendly ways of operating. You can expect to see growing demand for engineers who can apply their knowledge to developing sustainable solutions in the fields of waste management, green energy and recycling. Candidates will be required to use a combination of engineering, chemistry and biology to improve our current waste creation and management processes impacted by population growth.

Technological advances in medicine continue to break new ground, and with a rapidly growing (and ageing) population, medical professionals will require intuitive and advanced technologies such as MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems), 3D printing and charting, and much more.

Demand for biomedical engineers is likely to increase, and these professionals are expected to combine their knowledge of medicine and engineering to create new equipment, systems, and software to drive progress forwards.

Employees around the world have expressed concern about their jobs becoming more automated, and eventually replaced by robotics. Luckily, this is not an issue that will concern automation and robotics engineers.

Modern robotics systems have transcended early models that simply repeated simple tasks. Now, robots such as those designed by companies like Boston Dynamics, are capable of complex tasks, machine learning, and more. Robotics engineers, as well as those involved in mechanics, electronics and mechatronics will be in demand to test, develop and design these technologies.

Since 2011, the aerospace industry has experienced huge growth, with KPMG estimating worldwide demand for 27,000 new commercial planes and 40,000 commercial helicopters by 2031. The UK is home to over 128,000 aerospace jobs, and this £31bn market is growing fast.

No longer limited to aircraft, aerospace engineers now often work on probes and satellites that fuel our exploration of the galaxy. The industry continues to grow, with roles available in many areas such as mechanical design engineering, simulation development and systems safety. As government bodies and commercial companies like SpaceX continue to push the boundaries of interstellar travel, we have no doubt that aerospace engineers will find themselves greatly in demand.

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