IEEE GlobalSpec, the leading provider of digital media solutions designed to connect industrial marketers with their target audience of engineering and technical professionals, today announced the results of its fourth annual Pulse of Engineering Survey. The findings provide a number of insightful perspectives from the minds of 2,236 engineers across the globe, on topics such as the pace of engineering, available resources and competition.

"These findings provide an exclusive look into the mind of the engineer," said Patrick Mahoney, CEO and President of IEEE GlobalSpec. "Industrial marketers across the globe can use this information to better target audiences, strengthen relationships with customers, develop messaging and content, and position products to align closely with customer needs and pain points as well as industry trends. At the same time, it gives organizations insight into how their engineering staff is feeling about the current state of their position, so they know how and where to give them the resources and support they need."

Key findings from the study include:

• The pressure is on – 55 percent of engineers say the pace of engineering is increasing; 53 percent are required to do more with less; 40 percent say that pressure to meet deadlines is putting product quality/rework at risk.
• Information is key – Only 18 percent say they're overwhelmed with information, noting that the leading tools to help complete projects are technical documentation, software and development tools, product specifications and datasheets.
• Changing tech and increasing competition presents challenges – 52 percent said the number of competitors is growing and 66 percent said the competitive landscape is global and competes 24/7. Technological advances create additional challenges, as 49 percent say new technologies and companies disrupt their products/markets faster and 54 percent said that their company's technologies were relevant for a shorter period of time.
• Loyalty lies in the profession – Only 37 percent say they are very or completely likely to be employed at the same company five years from now. Top reasons for moving on from a current role are to move to a different company, retirement or promotion to a senior role.
• Companies need to change - 61 percent say that knowledge and/or information loss as employees left the company was very or extremely important, a 16 percent increase over a year ago. Yet only 30 percent of companies have formal practices in place to identify senior-level and specialized experts to train, transfer, mentor, manage or retain their knowledge among others in the organization.

Of the 2,236 survey respondents, taken from a pool of both Engineering360 and IEEE Spectrum registered users, 23 percent work at companies that employ ten or fewer engineers, 36 percent for companies employing 11–250 engineers, and 41 percent work for companies with more than 250 engineers. Respondents come from a wide range of industries including aerospace & defense, engineering/tech design services, communications (datacom/telecom/wireless/network), utilities/energy, and semiconductor and electronics components.

The complete research results are available for download here.

For an exclusive deep-dive into the survey with leading minds from IEEE GlobalSpec, you can also download the on-demand webinar, here.

About IEEE GlobalSpec

IEEE GlobalSpec is a community built by engineers, for engineers - delivering the single source for trusted, expert engineering content, information, insight, tools and community for engineers and technical professionals across multiple industries and disciplines. An engaged community of more than 8 million industry professionals rely on IEEE GlobalSpec as a trusted resource at every stage of the research, product design, and purchasing process. For industrial marketers, our mission is to provide comprehensive digital media solutions that connect manufacturers, distributors and service providers with engineers and allied technical professionals and generate unparalleled results – delivering measurable and actionable awareness, demand and engagement opportunities at all stages of the buy cycle. Learn more at www.globalspec.com.

About IEEE

IEEE is the largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics.

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