Commercial and industrial electronic equipment repairers, also called industrial electronics technicians, install and repair industrial controls, radar and missile control systems, medical diagnostic equipment, and communications equipment.
Those who work for the Defense Department install radar, missile control, and communication systems on aircraft, ships, and tanks, and in buildings and other structures. Some set up and service electronic equipment which controls machines and production processes in factories. They often coordinate their efforts with workers installing mechanical or electromechanical components. (See the statements on industrial machinery repairers and millwrights elsewhere in the Handbook).
About 1 out of 3 repairers was employed by the Federal Government.
Commercial and industrial electronic equipment repairers held about 68,000 jobs in 1992. About 1 out of 3 repairers was employed by the Federal Government, almost all in the Department of Defense at military installations around the country. Repairers also were employed by electronic and transportation equipment manufacturers, machinery and equipment wholesalers, telephone companies, hospitals, electronic repair shops, and firms that provide maintenance under contract (called third-party maintenance firms).
Employment of commercial and industrial electronic equipment repairers is expected to increase more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2005. Employment in nondefense industries is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations, as business and industrial firms install more electronic equipment to boost productivity and improve product quality. In addition, more electronic equipment will be used in energy conservation and pollution control. Because of cuts in the defense budget, however, employment is expected to decline significantly in the Federal Government. Besides employment growth arising from increased demand for these workers, many job openings will result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.
(See introductory part of this section for information on working conditions, training requirements, earnings, and sources of additional information.)
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Reprinted with Permission of U. S. Department of Labor