Commercial and Industrial Electronic Equipment Repairers

• Nature of the Work

  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).

• Employment

  Commercial and industrial electronic equipment repairers held about 66,000 jobs in 1994. 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).

• Job Outlook

  Overall employment of commercial and industrial electronic equipment repairers is expected to increase more slowly than the average for all occupations through the year 2005. Job prospects in private industry, however, should differ significantly from those within the Federal Government. Opportunities for employment outside of the Federal Government are expected to be good. Employment in nongovernment industries is expected to grow faster than 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 in the Federal Government is expected to decline significantly.

  (See introductory part of this section for information on working conditions, training requirements, earnings, and sources of additional information.)

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