Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals in Industry and Government/Military Positions

Abstract

During the period from October 1999 through December 2000, the Placement Service of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society distributed announcements describing 233 new positions available for human factors engineers and ergonomics professionals. This paper describes placement opportunities for HF and ergonomics professionals in industry and government/military (N=220). The attributes of the position descriptions examined include: employment sector, major field of study, degree requirements, required work experience, salary, geographic location, travel, and areas of expertise. The type of industry seeking most employees was Internet based at 33%. The most frequently specified major field of study was human factors (N=124). Fifty-three percent of the positions describe the master's degree as the minimum requirement. The geographical areas with the most jobs were California (N=48) and the Northwest (N=23). Finally, the area of expertise most frequently requested by employers was usability testing and design (N=99) and Human Computer Interaction (N=42) was the most commonly specified job expertise/function.

Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals in Industry and Government/Military Positions

“…The 1 17 positions discussed in this paper were categorized into two employment sectors: Industry (82%) and GovernmentMilitary (1 8%). The Industry sector decreased 10% over from 1999 (Schoeling, Goliber, & Moroney, 2000), while Government/Military increased (10%). The number of positions available in industry was 201 in the 1999 survey (Schoeling, Goliber, & Moroney, 2000), and 117 in this analysis.…”

“…The Industry sector decreased 10% over from 1999 (Schoeling, Goliber, & Moroney, 2000), while Government/Military increased (10%). The number of positions available in industry was 201 in the 1999 survey (Schoeling, Goliber, & Moroney, 2000), and 117 in this analysis. T h s decrease is most likely due to the current recession.…”

Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals

“…However, for the 31 positions for which a salary range was specified, the salaries ranged from a low of $30,000 to a high of $162,000 (compared to a range of $30,000 to $85,210 in 2004 (Anderson et al, 2005); $30,000 to $121,000 in 2002 (Voorheis et al, 2003); $33,000 to $95,000 in 2000 (Schoeling, Goliber, & Moroney, 2001); $33,000 to $100,000 in 1998 (Cummings-Hill, Means, Harrison, & Moroney, 1999)). In 2005, the median minimum salary was $73,000 and the median maximum salary was $100,000.…”

Placement Opportunities for Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Professionals in Industry and Government/Military Positions

“…Eightyseven percent of the employers did not specify a salary range, therefore caution should be used in interpreting these data. Within the 14 positions for which salary was specified, the salaries ranged from a low of $30,000 to a high of $162,000 (compared to a range of $30,000 to $85,210 in 2004 (Anderson et al, 2005); $30,000 to $121,000 in 2002 (Voorheis et al, 2003); $33,000 to $95,000 in 2000 (Schoeling, Goliber, & Moroney, 2001); $33,000 to $100,000 in 1998 (CummingsHill, Means, Harrison, & Moroney, 1999)). The median salary minimum was $73,000 and the median salary max was $100,000.…”