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Electrical and Electronics Drafters

Architecture and Engineering · SOC 17-3012

8.9% AI Exposure — Medium
$76,870
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
2,800
Proj. Annual Openings
17,920
Employment (OEWS 2025)
-4.8%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
91/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 17-3012 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
8.9%
Medium · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
34/100
Low friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$76,870
H-1B offered wage $68,808; LCAs are filings.
Projected openings
2,800
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change -5.6%.
Observed/proxy demand
2
FY2025 certified LCAs; 2,772 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Active ListeningWritingCritical ThinkingJudgment and Decision MakingReading Comprehension
  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

Best transitions from here

Explore all pathways

Lower AI-exposure roles that reuse your skills, ranked by a transition score (skills that transfer, safety gain, pay and retraining effort).

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure8.9%
AI Resiliency91/100
Exposure BandMedium
Sector Avg. Exposure4.5%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

50.5%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic8.9%
AI capability · OpenAI57.4%
AI ability · AIOE85.3%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne81%

AI could do ~57.4% of this role but only ~8.9% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.

Top Skills

1.Active Listening
2.Writing
3.Critical Thinking
4.Judgment and Decision Making
5.Reading Comprehension

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

63
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
2
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$68,808
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#352 of 776
Rank by Total Volume
H-1B filing volume, FY2016–FY2025

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Prepare wiring diagrams, circuit board assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment.

Common titles: Computer-Aided Design Operator, Designer, Drafter, Drafting Technician (Drafting Tech), Electrical Designer, Electrical Drafter

Representative Tasks

  • 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.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Create schematic drawings for electronics.
  • Create electrical schematics.
  • Document technical design details.
  • Evaluate designs or specifications to ensure quality.
  • Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.

Tools & Technologies

Autodesk AutoCAD · hotAutodesk Revit · hotBentley MicroStation · hotC · hotDassault Systemes SolidWorks · hotMicrosoft PowerPoint · hotSAP software · hotThe MathWorks MATLAB · hotEpicor Vantage ERPMathWorks Simulink

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
4.5%
Avg AI Exposure
2
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 17-3012: 2019 — employment: 24,140, median wage: $61,530; 2020 — employment: 23,020, median wage: $62,100; 2021 — employment: 20,830, median wage: $61,510; 2022 — employment: 20,930, median wage: $64,240; 2023 — employment: 20,680, median wage: $69,260; 2025 — employment: 17,920, median wage: $76,870.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure8.9%4.5%
OutlookAverage15% Bright
Median Salary$76,870N/A
AI Resiliency91/100N/A