How to become an electrical engineer
Official title: Electrical engineers
Also called: Electrical engineer, Electric power generation engineer, Electromechanical engineer
Electrical engineers conduct research and advise on, design and direct the construction and operation of electrical systems, components, motors and equipment, and advise on and direct their functioning, maintenance and repair, or study and advise on technological aspects of electrical engineering materials, products and processes.
Main tasks
- Advising on and designing power stations and systems which generate, transmit and distribute electrical power
- Supervising, controlling and monitoring the operation of electrical generation, transmission and distribution systems
- Advising on and designing systems for electrical motors, electrical traction and other equipment, or electrical domestic appliances
- Specifying electrical installation and application in industrial and other buildings and objects
- Establishing control standards and procedures to monitor performance and safety of electrical generating and distribution systems, motors and equipment
- Determining manufacturing methods for electrical systems, as well as maintenance and repair of existing electrical systems, motors and equipment
Ways in
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 14 universities in Hong Kong
- Licence or registration: Registering body: Engineers Registration Board. Law: Engineers Registration Ordinance (工程師註冊條例), Cap. 409. Summary by Peernovo; check the body's current rules.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
- About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become an electrical engineer?
Ways in include: Engineering degrees.
Do you need a degree to become an electrical engineer?
Usually. 88% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of an electrical engineer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026