Job market information
Finding out about the electrotechnical industry
The electrotechnical industry is part of the building services engineering sector, represented by SummitSkills Sector Skills Council, which also includes: plumbing; heating and ventilating; air conditioning and refrigeration; and electrical and electronic servicing. The building services engineering sector as a whole employs over 600,000 people in over 60,000 businesses. Of these, 85% have between 1 and 5 employees, with most of the remainder employing between 6 and 250 workers. Very few have more than 250 employees. The sector has an annual turnover of around £17 billion in the UK. Building services engineering is continually adapting to meet technological challenges and plays a central role in environmental technology developments, particularly around renewable energy and micro‐generation.
The electrotechnical industry works on both domestic and major engineering projects installing, commissioning and maintaining technology in all types of building, including:
- complex projects such as shopping centres, sports stadiums, hospitals and new housing projects
- advanced data‐cabling, data‐handling systems and fibre‐optic systems
- computer controlled building management systems
- renewable energy systems
- control equipment for complex industrial manufacturing and processing
Key facts:
- There are around 23,000 businesses in the industry employing 135,000 people, mostly white male.
- 90% of businesses employ fewer than 10 people.
- The number of people employed in the industry is forecast to fall due to the economic climate.
Jobs in the industry range from: installation electricians, electrotechnical panel builders, machine repair and rewind electricians, instrumentation electricians, maintenance electricians, highway systems electricians.
Entry and progression
The electrotechnical industry is a frequent choice of career by those who are made redundant from engineering roles, by those changing career and by those returning to work after a break. Entrants are required to have a good level of education and will need to achieve the relevant NVQ Level 2 or Level 3 to be recognised as qualified within the industry. This will take between 2 and 4 years to complete whilst working in the industry.
Typical progression routes in this industry are into technician, supervisory management or professional building services engineering roles. Many qualified electricians also run their own businesses.
There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships (such as the Electrotechnical Advanced Apprenticeship), vocational qualifications and training schemes.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
135,000 |
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| Number of UK employers: |
23,000 |
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| Gender: |
Less than 1% of the skilled workforce is female |
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| Ethnicity: |
3.5% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority, with 1.4% of the workforce from Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds. |
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| Age: |
63% of the workforce is aged 35-54 years. |
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Employment trends and future prospects
Due to the current economic climate, the number of people employed in the industry is forecast to fall by between 18% and 42%, depending upon the depth of the recession and the speed of recovery. A proportion of these losses will be apprentices.
Technician and professional roles typically sought after by experienced people who have worked in the industry for 10‐15 years are: computer aided design (CAD) technician; site supervisor; educator or trainer; consulting engineer; estimator/quantity surveyor; and business manager or proprietor.
Skill requirements and shortages
Key common activities involve: working safely; working in an environmentally friendly manner; undertaking preparatory work; identifying and rectifying faults; providing functional and technical information; maintaining working relationships; and overseeing work activities.
The skill needs of the industry are expected to be met by the redeployment of displaced workers. Therefore, recruitment to replace those retiring or leaving the industry is likely to be minimal in the short‐term.
Occupational trends
About 90% of people working in the industry are employed as Installation Electricians, with around 20% of these installing alarms, 5‐8% work as Highway Systems Electricians and 2‐5% work in the other trades.
At technician and professional levels, the workforce is likely to remain relatively stable. From 2010 onwards, there is likely to be an increase in the number of people required, thereby improving prospects for new entrants to the sector. This will particularly benefit graduates seeking to enter the industry and gain employment within consultancies.
National and regional data
East Midlands – There are 12,241 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 600.
East of England – There are 18,490 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 920.
London – There are 19,759 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 980.
North East – There are 7,077 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 350.
North West – There are 15,411 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 770.
South East – There are 19,663 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 980.
South West – There are 11,790 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 590.
West Midlands – There are 14,876 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 740.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 15,800 people employed in the industry. The number of new people required each year to replace those who retire or leave the industry is around 790.
Salary levels
Some suggested annual salary ranges for those working in the industry include:
- First‐year apprentices start on around £8,000
- Newly‐qualified workers earn around £17,000
- Experienced workers earn around £30,000
More information on salary levels can be found on the Joint Industry Board 
(JIB) website.
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using SummitSkills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
