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Occupation · 2026 assessment

Design Engineer

A Design Engineer calculates, designs, tests or maintains technical systems and is accountable for safety, reliability and compliance. The assessment separates automation of individual tasks from accountability for the professional outcome.

Low risk level Search jobs ↗
How risk may change

A forecast estimate, not a guaranteed scenario.

28%2026
31%2028
35%2030
41%2035

Which tasks are exposed

Risk applies to individual tasks—not to a person or an entire occupation.

TaskRisk
gathering technical requirements46%
calculation and modelling41%
developing diagrams or drawings37%
selecting materials and components32%
checking standards and safety26%
testing a prototype or system16%
failure analysis5%
maintaining technical documentation3%

Task map

AI replaces ↔ AI augments

Each task is positioned by AI capability and the degree of human involvement still required.

  1. 1gathering technical requirementsAI 46% · human 68%
  2. 2calculation and modellingAI 41% · human 73%
  3. 3developing diagrams or drawingsAI 37% · human 81%
  4. 4selecting materials and componentsAI 32% · human 69%
  5. 5checking standards and safetyAI 26% · human 72%
  6. 6testing a prototype or systemAI 16% · human 80%
  7. 7failure analysisAI 5% · human 92%
  8. 8maintaining technical documentationAI 3% · human 79%

Why technology can change this work

  • digital tools reduce preparation and control time
  • full automation is constrained by variable real-world conditions
  • many cases still require professional judgement
  • key information often emerges only through direct work

What protects the occupation

  • system-safety accountability
  • work with physical constraints
  • testing under real conditions

United States · before tax

Average pay and outlook

Estimated nominal monthly pay. The scenario reflects sector, demand and task resilience; it is not a guarantee of income.

2026$9 700per month
2035$14 000scenario estimate
2026: $9 70020262027: $10 10020272028: $10 55020282029: $10 95020292030: $11 45020302031: $11 90020312032: $12 40020322033: $12 90020332034: $13 45020342035: $14 0002035
Find jobs ↗The partner link may contain referral parameters. Data benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ↗

Practical next step

Where to move next

Do not restart from zero: carry your experience forward and add scarce skills.

Robotics Technician

Established resilient role
New role risk18%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit89%

Industrial Automation Engineer

Established resilient role
New role risk21%
DemandMediumDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit85%

Robot Fleet Manager

Emerging role
New role risk12%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit85%

Generative Design Engineer

Emerging role
New role risk16%
DemandHighDifficultyLowTime3–6 monthsSkill fit83%

AI Security Engineer

Emerging role
New role risk14%
DemandHighDifficultyHighTime12–24 monthsSkill fit50%

Energy Storage Optimizer

Emerging role
New role risk12%
DemandHighDifficultyMediumTime6–12 monthsSkill fit62%

Job search and transitions

Find work with a lower risk index

Compare adjacent paths and open a current search for the selected occupation.

Skills you already have

  • engineering calculations
  • reading and producing drawings
  • materials knowledge
  • safety standards
  • testing
  • failure analysis

Skills to build

  • digital twins
  • generative engineering
  • model-based development
  • predictive diagnostics
  • equipment cybersecurity
  • AI-calculation validation
CurrentDesign Engineer · 28%
→
Keepengineering calculations · reading and producing drawings · materials knowledge
→
Adddigital twins · generative engineering · model-based development

Sources and update

Updated: 2026-09-26 · Assessment confidence: Medium

International Labour Organization · 2025Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure

Nearly 30,000 tasks; a global assessment of GenAI exposure across detailed occupational groups.

World Economic Forum · 2025The Future of Jobs Report 2025

A survey of more than 1,000 employers representing over 14 million workers across 55 economies.

O*NET Resource Center · 2026O*NET Database

Occupational, task, skill and work-context structure.