Architecture and Engineering · Holland code IRC
Microsystems Engineers
Research, design, develop, or test microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
Also called: Process Engineer, Product Design Engineer, Project Engineer, Radio Frequency Design Engineer (RF Design Engineer), Control Systems Engineer, MEMS Integration Engineer (Microelectrical Mechanical Integration Engineer), Microsystems Engineer, Project Design Engineer.
O*NET 17-2199.06
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $122,930
- Middle half earn $90,970 to $158,090. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Master's Degree
- 34% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive 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.
- Create schematics and physical layouts of integrated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) components or packaged assemblies consistent with process, functional, or package constraints.
- Evaluate materials, fabrication methods, joining methods, surface treatments, or packaging to ensure acceptable processing, performance, cost, sustainability, or availability.
- Refine final microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design to optimize design for target dimensions, physical tolerances, or processing constraints.
- Investigate characteristics such as cost, performance, or process capability of potential microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device designs, using simulation or modeling software.
- Conduct harsh environmental testing, accelerated aging, device characterization, or field trials to validate devices, using inspection tools, testing protocols, peripheral instrumentation, or modeling and simulation software.
- Develop or file intellectual property and patent disclosure or application documents related to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, products, or systems.
- Conduct or oversee the conduct of prototype development or microfabrication activities to ensure compliance to specifications and promote effective production processes.
- Create or maintain formal engineering documents, such as schematics, bills of materials, components or materials specifications, or packaging requirements.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking4.0 / 5
- Writing3.8 / 5
- Speaking3.6 / 5
- Science3.6 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Computers and Electronics4.6 / 5
- Engineering and Technology4.6 / 5
- Mathematics4.1 / 5
- Physics4.0 / 5
- Design3.9 / 5
- English Language3.5 / 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.
- Realistic75
- Investigative87
- Artistic16
- Social9
- Enterprising7
- Conventional65
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)
- electronics engineer · DE Ingenieur Elektronik/Ingenieurin Elektronik · FR ingénieur électronicien/ingénieure électronicienne
- computer hardware engineer · DE Ingenieur Computer-Hardware/Ingenieurin Computer-Hardware · FR ingénieur en matériel informatique/ingénieure en matériel informatique
- microsystem engineer · DE Ingenieur Mikrosystemtechnik/Ingenieurin Mikrosystemtechnik · FR ingénieur microsystèmes/ingénieure microsystèmes
- microelectronics engineer · DE Ingenieur Mikroelektronik/Ingenieurin Mikroelektronik · FR ingénieur en microélectronique/ingénieure en microélectronique
- integrated circuit design engineer · DE IC-Designer/IC-Designerin · FR ingénieur en conception de composants électroniques/ingénieure en conception de composants électroniques
- microelectronics engineering technician · DE Mikroelektroniktechniker/Mikroelektroniktechnikerin · FR technicien en microélectronique/technicienne en microélectronique
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Security system installers and repairers (5245)17,800 employed
- Electronics engineers (professional) (2124)43,900 employed
- Aerospace engineers (2126)41,700 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 “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 | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
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 +0.79. 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 (17-2199).
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