Will the decline in the number of jobs and the graying of the engineering workforce lead to shortages? It depends on who you ask. For all that’s going on at NAB 2012, click here.
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Broadcast Engineers Aging, Jobs Dropping
Broadcast engineers are aging and the number of available jobs is falling. Those are givens.
But whether there’ll be a severe shortage of engineers or the profession will experience a comeback of sorts is up for debate.
That debate was explored Monday at two back-to-back NAB sessions on employment opportunities for broadcast engineers, presented by John L. Poray, executive director of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and Fred Baumgartner, trustee for the SBE’s Ennes Educational Foundation Trust.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of people employed in technical positions at radio and TV stations fell 13% between 1999 and 2008, from 25,570 to 22,200. The number of broadcasting establishments fell 5% from 2001 to 2011 to 9,739.
These drops resulted in the ongoing aftermath of deregulation beginning in the 1980s, Poray said. Consolidation among media companies and technical innovation also contributed.
When there are jobs, employers are seeking candidates with broader skills, like an IT background, Poray said. And even broadcast engineering jobs aren’t always filled, especially at smaller stations that may struggle to get broadcast engineers to move to their remote markets, Poray said.
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As the number of engineers have dropped, those still in the business are aging. In 2001, approximately 28% of members were between 35 and 46. The greatest percentage — 35.4% — was made up of members between 46 and 55.
Flash forward to 2011, and the number of 56-65 year-old members has nearly doubled, making up 33.1% of membership, while the 36-45 group has essentially been cut in half, making up 14.1% of membership. The percentage that are 46-55 is about the same at 32.1%. In that decade span, the average age of an SBE member increased from 49.9 to 53.9, Poray said.
Given all of these factors, Poray predicted that an insufficient number of engineers could be coming in a decade’s time, if not sooner.
But Baumgartner, in his presentation, said he didn’t believe a shortage would cause significant problems. “I don’t think any real job will go unfilled at the end of the day,” Baumgartner said. “And the truth of the matter is that it is a supply and demand issue. If the demand is there, that brings the reward out and attracts more people to the industry. My point of view is that it’s kind of a self-curing problem.”
But the SBE is doing its part to try to avoid a problem in the first place. It has provided an increasing number of educational opportunities within the past three years, including online courses and webinars, for new broadcast engineers and for those in need of technical refreshers.
“It’s safe to say that in any case engineers have to adapt, to keep up on technology, to fill positions in the future,” he said.
For all that’s going on at NAB 2012, click here.
Comments (4)
Hope Yen and Charles Babington says:
April 17, 2012 at 9:45 am
Some of the demand decrease is for bench component-level repair technicians. With so many pieces of the chain being out-of-the-box plug ‘n play, there are simply less devices that can be repaired on the workbench. For example, with RAID technology, a failed storage device, for example, is identified automatically, replaced by returning it to the manufacturer if under warranty, or discarded and replaced, and the datastream continues with the viewer not seeing even a single glitch. On line spares are the norm, not the exception today. In smaller markets there are not the spare RF devices because of expense, but the robustness of most of today’s devices is far higher than the old days of analog devices which required a fair amount of weekly, if not daily tweaking. One solution small markets should actively consider is the sharing of one of two highly trained and competent RF engineers who would work for a jointly owned and operated shared engineering services agency. Compete on the streets, not on the engineering bench!
Jason Crundwell says:
April 17, 2012 at 9:52 am
Broadcast engineering is dying, no doubt. And there’s damn little incentive for a young person to even be interested, much less actively seeking employment. Job requirements continue to increase while the apparent value of a skilled engineer decreases. Why would you take a job that pays less than Home Depot that requires you to be on call 24/7/365 (including vacations, assuming you get them approved) and be reseponsible for every single piece of equipment, broadcast and otherwise, in the building and every vehicle, plus air conditioning, furniture, plumbing, roofing, electrical, etc., etc. It’s insane. My advice to anyone considering broadcast engineering as a career: have your head examined.
Gregg Palermo says:
April 17, 2012 at 10:56 am
I doubt broadcast engineers are as burned-out as some might think. If you don’t love your job, just quit and let someone who wants it get their turn.
mary keller says:
April 20, 2012 at 7:50 pm
Even as a high school kid I always wanted to be a broadcast engineer. That was around 40 years ago, so yes I’m now on the graying end of the scale. Overall it’s been a pretty good ride but I don’t suggest it for everyone. Even 30 years ago I remember the hand wringing about where the next generation of RF engineers would come from. As Thomas noted the demand for traditional broadcast engineers has gradually decreased and I think there are still enough good RF people out there to meet the demand. Let’s face it: Everything from the audio console and camera through the transmitter has become a string of computers, and that has dramatically reduced the “MacGyver” scenarios of the past. SBE has embraced the computer reality with the new CBNE certification. To me one of the major strengths of this career is the variety. From designing video transport networks to slogging through swamps taking monitor point readings the variety is endless. Few careers offer that diversity. We with snow on the roof would do well to mentor beginners to understand the long term upsides- and the downsides.