Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RCI
Electrical and Electronics Drafters
Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.
Also called: Computer-Aided Design Operator, Drafter, Electrical Designer, Staking Technician (Staking Tech), Designer, Drafting Technician (Drafting Tech), Electrical Drafter, Layout Designer.
O*NET 17-3012.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $76,870
- Middle half earn $61,430 to $96,730. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree
- 40% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Draft detail and assembly drawings of design components, circuitry or printed circuit boards, using computer-assisted equipment or standard drafting techniques and devices.
- Draft working drawings, wiring diagrams, wiring connection specifications, or cross-sections of underground cables, as required for instructions to installation crew.
- Assemble documentation packages and produce drawing sets to be checked by an engineer or an architect.
- Review completed construction drawings and cost estimates for accuracy and conformity to standards and regulations.
- Consult with engineers to discuss or interpret design concepts, or determine requirements of detailed working drawings.
- Confer with engineering staff and other personnel to resolve problems.
- Measure factors that affect installation and arrangement of equipment, such as distances to be spanned by wire and cable.
- Design electrical systems, such as lighting systems.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening3.6 / 5
- Writing3.5 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.4 / 5
- Speaking3.3 / 5
- Active Learning3.3 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Design4.4 / 5
- Engineering and Technology4.3 / 5
- Computers and Electronics4.2 / 5
- English Language3.9 / 5
- Mathematics3.6 / 5
- Administrative3.5 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic77
- Investigative41
- Artistic34
- Social5
- Enterprising15
- Conventional76
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- drafter · DE Technischer Zeichner/Technische Zeichnerin · FR dessinateur/dessinatrice
- aerospace engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik/Zeichnerin Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik · FR dessinateur en ingénierie aérospatiale/dessinatrice en ingénierie aérospatiale
- mechanical engineering drafter · DE Maschinenbauzeichner/Maschinenbauzeichnerin · FR dessinateur en génie mécanique/dessinatrice en génie mécanique
- product development engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Produktentwicklung/Zeichnerin Produktentwicklung · FR dessinateur en conception de produits industriels/dessinatrice en conception de produits industriels
- automotive engineering drafter · DE Zeichner Kraftfahrzeugbau/Zeichnerin Kraftfahrzeugbau · FR dessinateur en ingénierie automobile/dessinatrice en ingénierie automobile
- computer-aided design operator · DE CAD-Bediener/CAD-Bedienerin · FR opérateur de conception assistée par ordinateur/opératrice de conception assistée par ordinateur
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- CAD, drawing and architectural technicians (3120)54,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.91. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-3012).
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