Electrical engineers
Electrical engineers undertake research and design, direct construction and manage the operation and maintenance of electrical equipment, power stations, building control systems and other electrical products and systems.
- Employees (UK)
- 35k
- Median annual pay
- £59,930
- Exposure score ?
- 2.4/10 Low 8.6/10 Very high strict reading, with tools is 8.6/10 with-tools reading, strict is 2.4/10
- Wage exposure
- £503m £1.80bn
Higher exposure than 85% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means.
A few tasks in this role are within reach of AI, mostly paperwork, scheduling and routine writing. The shape of the role stays the same, and some parts get faster.
If you are in this role
Pick the two or three most repetitive things in your week and try a model on them. Most people underestimate what Claude or ChatGPT already does with admin-shaped work. The time you get back is the gain.
Almost every routine task in this role is within reach of today's models. Roles like this are being rebuilt, usually not by disappearing but by one person using AI to produce what several did.
If you are in this role
Be the person doing the rebuilding. People who learn to run this kind of work with AI become very valuable, and the ones who wait tend to have the change made for them.
Where the work usually starts.
These are the most important tasks a language model can already handle directly. In a typical engagement the first wins come from building workflows around them, so they stop eating the team's time.
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Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
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Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
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Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
These are the most important tasks AI can already handle when paired with the right tools and context. The first wins usually come from building workflows around them. That is the difference between a model that could do the job and one that actually does it inside your business.
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Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
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Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
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Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
Every role has three or four places like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days.
Every task in the role.
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can do unaided and what still needs a person. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central each task is.
Tasks via O*NET "Electrical Engineers" (17-2071.00).
What AI can already do
5 of 22 tasks, unaided
Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment.
Plan or implement research methodology or procedures to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects.
What still needs a person
17 of 22 tasks
Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems.
Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
Develop systems that produce electricity with renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels.
Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.
Develop software to control electrical systems.
Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes.
Supervise or train project team members, as necessary.
Assist in developing capital project programs for new equipment or major repairs.
Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency.
Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems.
Design electrical systems or components that minimize electric energy requirements, such as lighting systems designed to account for natural lighting.
Tasks via O*NET "Electrical Engineers" (17-2071.00).
What AI can already do
18 of 22 tasks, with tools
Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems.
Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
Develop systems that produce electricity with renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels.
Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.
Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment.
Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes.
Plan or implement research methodology or procedures to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects.
Assist in developing capital project programs for new equipment or major repairs.
Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency.
Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems.
Design electrical systems or components that minimize electric energy requirements, such as lighting systems designed to account for natural lighting.
What still needs a person
4 of 22 tasks
Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
Develop software to control electrical systems.
Supervise or train project team members, as necessary.
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Related occupations.
Other roles in Professional occupations, and roles close by exposure.
What it means for your sector.
This role's score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 task labels, weighted by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 through ISCO-08 (the ONS coding index) and US SOC 2010 (the BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional, which covers employees only.
Back to the mapMethodologySources (PDF)Built 29 April 2026
Pictures
- "Census pantograph and 1930s keypunches" by U.S. Census Bureau employees, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Shepard Barclay, St. Louis lawyer, in his office" by Missouri Historical Society via DPLA, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Accountant's Office LCCN2016824374" by National Photo Company Collection, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Employment service in Oulu in the spring 1931" by Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons