US electrical engineers face shocking slump in wages

Wages are dropping for electrical engineers in the USA for the first time in more than three decades. The median salary of an electrical engineer working in the USA fell $1,500 in 2003, according to a survey released this week by the IEEE.

Ten years ago, the median salary was $67,000. By 2002, this grew to $101,000. In 2003, the median wage dropped to $99,500.

“These results are disturbing, but not surprising,” IEEE-USA president John Steadman commented. The group claims that offshore outsourcing is partly responsible and believes the relocation of technology jobs to places like India and China is having a negative impact.