The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) does not provide an employment outlook for microfabrication technicians, but it does predict that electromechanical technicians will have average employment growth, about 3 percent, through 2029. These technicians have similar responsibilities to those of microfabrication technicians. According to the DOL, "industries in which new jobs are expected for these workers include machinery manufacturing; motor vehicle parts manufacturing; and navigational, measuring, electromechanical, and control instruments engineering.
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic disrupted most industries, causing lockdowns, budget cuts, layoffs, and an economic slowdown. Many engineering professionals, including technicians, have been deemed essential workers, however, and have continued to work throughout the pandemic. Employment growth for microfabrication technicians may slow somewhat into 2021 but is expected to pick up as the pandemic ends and the economy strengthens.
According to MEMS Industry Group, the “future of MEMS is rich with commercial possibilities, including the trillions of MEMS sensors envisioned to be used as the eyes and ears of the Internet of Things; the future of MEMS also includes local MEMS-based environmental monitoring devices; deployments in the MEMS-enabled quantified self movement and in personalized medicine applications; MEMS-containing wearables; and MEMS-reliant drones and other small personal robots.”
- Advanced Manufacturing Engineers
- Advanced Manufacturing Technicians
- Biochemists
- Biomedical Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemists
- Drug Developers
- Electronics Engineering Technicians
- Engineering Technicians
- Futurists
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Microbiologists
- Microfabrication Engineers
- Nanomaterials Scientists
- Nanosystems Engineers
- Nanotechnicians
- Nanotechnologists
- Robotics Engineers
- Robotics Technicians
- Semiconductor Technicians