Quality Control Engineers

The employment outlook for quality control engineers and technicians depends, to some degree, on general economic conditions. Through 2033, the U.S. Department of Labor projects an increase in employment of 3 percent, about as fast as the average, for the field of industrial production management, which includes quality control engineers and technicians. Quality control engineers experienced slow employment growth in 2020 and early 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, which disrupted all industries in the U.S. and around the world. Job growth has since picked up, however, and is expected to continue as the roles of the quality control engineer are vital to production and cannot be eliminated. There will also still be new jobs to replace people retiring from or otherwise leaving this field.

Many companies continue to make efforts to streamline their manufacturing processes, by increasing efficiency, lowering costs, and improving productivity and quality. In the coming years, opportunities for quality control engineers should be good in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, and motor vehicle parts manufacturing, as well as in electronics and chemical companies. Quality control engineers may also find employment in industries using robotics equipment or in the aerospace, biomedical, bioengineering, environmental controls, and transportation industries. Declines in employment in some industries may occur because of the increased use of automated equipment that tests and inspects parts during production operations.