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SOC 17-2141 · O*NET 17-2141.00
Mechanical engineers (O*NET 17-2141.00) design and evaluate tools, engines, mechanical equipment, and heat-transfer, gas, water, and steam systems; plan installation, operation, and maintenance; assess costs and energy efficiency; and take responsibility for design decisions and sign-off.
Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((75+25+75)/3+0.5)=58; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.
Mechanical engineers turn requirements into manufacturable mechanical systems: interpreting drawings and specifications, researching and evaluating feasibility and cost, designing tools, engines, machinery, and heat-transfer, gas, water, and steam systems, modeling and validating performance, assessing energy efficiency and environmental impacts, and taking responsibility for design decisions, performance conclusions, and sign-off. Work mainly involves indoor design and analysis, with collaboration with technicians, drafters, contractors, and clients.
The following judgments concern mechanical engineers' daily work designing, validating, and delivering mechanical products, equipment, and systems; they do not predict hiring, qualifications, authorization to practice, or design sign-off responsibility.
Sample output and reflection: check whether you first verified requirements and applicable standards, explained the basis for the design and calculations, provided validation methods and criteria, and distinguished requirements, performance, and cost issues. Then ask whether you can perform and review calculations to standards, document and escalate insufficient information first, and accept responsibility for design decisions.
This page covers O*NET 17-2141.00, Mechanical Engineers: performing engineering duties to plan and design tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment, and overseeing installation, operation, maintenance, and repair of equipment such as centralized heating, gas, water, and steam systems. Common reported job titles include Applications Engineer, Design Engineer, Equipment Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineer, Product Development Engineer, Product Engineer, Project Engineer, and Test Engineer. Work mainly involves indoor design and analysis, alongside fieldwork and testing. This page excludes adjacent occupations such as Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3027.00), Industrial Engineers (17-2112.00), and Mechanical Drafters (17-3013.00).
Career direction comparison
Compare core outputs, responsibility boundaries, and working patterns; do not interchange roles based on names.
| Career direction | Core work and output | Key differences | Best-fit choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | Difference from mechanical engineering technologists and technicians: technicians assemble, test, and record under engineers' guidance; this occupation is responsible for requirements judgments, design decisions, performance conclusions, and sign-off. | Assemble, test, and record under engineers' guidance; this occupation handles design decisions and sign-off. | Compare the division between design and execution. |
| Mechanical Drafters | Difference from mechanical drafters: drafters turn design intent into manufacturable drawings; this occupation determines design intent, the applicability of standards, and responsibility for performance. |
AI impact on this career
Editorial trial suggestion: assess the accuracy, permissions, and review costs of proposal explanations, data organization, and retrieval. No empirical evidence was obtained that generative tools can interpret drawings or generate reliable mechanical designs; do not treat occupational tasks as verified AI capabilities. AI Impact Score 58% is an editorial estimate. Model impact index for three equally weighted representative core tasks; not a measured share of working time or a job-loss probability. floor((75+25+75)/3+0.5)=58; fermatmind-ai-impact-v1; 2026-10-18.The three tasks, ratings and sources are listed in the FermatMind method source record on this page.
FermatMind AI Impact Score estimation method v1
FermatMind / 费马测试 · 2026-10-18
Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
Chinese mainland salary reference
Scope note: the National Bureau of Statistics' 2025 average annual wages for manufacturing employees are RMB 113,594 per year for urban non-private units and RMB 76,055 per year for urban private units; the national total for urban non-private units is RMB 129,441 per year. These are all industry-level figures, not this occupation's median or starting pay.
Category boundary: the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security publishes enterprise remuneration survey information by occupation or position, which can help locate pay information for mechanical engineering and design roles. However, this page has not obtained an entry precisely matching O*NET 17-2141.00 and does not treat it as this occupation's national median. Consult the competent authority's actual publications.
See official industry statistics
Data for this occupation not obtained
U.S. salary reference
US 17-2141 in 2025: annual wages at P10/P25/P50/P75/P90 are USD 73,990 / 84,130 / 104,110 / 132,590 / 164,340; hourly wages are USD 35.57 / 40.45 / 50.05 / 63.75 / 79.01. Employment is projected to rise from 298,500 in 2025 to 332,000 in 2035, growing 11%, a net increase of 33,500. Average annual openings of 17,800 include replacements. Percentiles do not represent seniority or take-home income.
| Percentile | Annual Reference | Hourly Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Percentile | USD 73,990 per year | Approximately USD 35.57 per hour | The 10th-percentile statistical position. |
Fit Signals
Task signal: can design validation methods and explain performance and reliability conclusions.
Positive Signals： Task signal: can organize designs, calculations, and reviews into traceable records.
Reasons for Caution： Reasons for caution: if accepting responsibility for design decisions and sign-off is difficult, or you lack patience for repeated reviews and calculations, consider comparing adjacent directions or technician roles first.
Trial Actions： Editorial observation suggestion: check whether design assumptions, units, calculations, and validation evidence can be reviewed and whether insufficient information is proactively reported. A brief paper exercise cannot establish physical safety, authorization, or long-term performance.
Risks and Boundaries
Handle risks in terms of triggers, consequences, controls, and escalation boundaries; editorial synthesis does not replace engineering and safety standards.
Requirements, performance, and cost risks are editorial control analyses based on O*NET tasks, not accident rates or uniform statutory standards. US PE boundaries are based on BLS and are not extended to China.
Typical scenario：Starting design before confirming requirements, specifications, or applicable standards.
Roles most affected：Design and modeling roles
Possible consequence：
Entry Paths
US BLS states that mechanical engineers typically need a bachelor's degree and generally do not need a license for entry-level roles; engineering services to the public require a state PE license. JobZone4 describes general preparation, not a requirement for several years of experience in every entry-level role. Verify Chinese qualifications and engineering duties under the relevant professional system.
Market Signals
Employment levels, growth rates, net changes, and annual openings must be explained separately and cannot be combined into an individual employment guarantee.
US nationwide · Display scope: Mechanical Engineers (17-2141.00)
298,500 employed in 2025; projected 332,000 in 2035, growth of 11% and a net increase of 33,500 (2025—2035).
Employment Level and Change
Employment level, change, and openings must be explained separately.
Does not establish：These are US national statistical projections, not an individual employment guarantee.
Work mainly involves indoor design and analysis in controlled environments (approximately 69% daily). Approximately 100% use email daily, 49% use telephones daily, and 46% have face-to-face discussions daily. Approximately 55% report usually working 40 hours a week and 45% more than 40 hours. Being exact or highly accurate is rated extremely important by approximately 39%.
Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians assemble, test, and record under engineers' guidance; mechanical drafters produce drawings and models; industrial engineers focus on production systems and efficiency. Mechanical engineers are responsible for requirements judgments, design decisions, performance conclusions, and sign-off.
Choose a real task from this page for a small practice project or a conversation with someone in the field. Use the planning guides to set a date, an output and feedback questions before deciding whether to continue.
This is a work-sample check, not a personality diagnosis or hiring conclusion.
Entirely fictional task package: provide a fictional mechanical component design brief containing 1 set of functional and performance requirements, 1 set of fictional loads and operating conditions, and 1 material and process choice to evaluate. Within 60 minutes, write out the design approach, key calculations, validation methods, cost and feasibility considerations, and situations requiring confirmation by the responsible engineer. Do not use real client or company data or unpublished drawings.
Verify first: requirements and functional targets, applicable standards and regulations, material and process conditions, loads and operating conditions, cost and schedule constraints, and engineering and compliance judgments requiring confirmation by the responsible engineer.
Work cycle: begin with interpreting drawings and requirements, proceed through feasibility and cost analysis, design and calculations, modeling and validation, review and sign-off, and end with delivery and change management. Do not begin design before all requirements and standards are confirmed, or issue any performance or safety conclusion before it has been reviewed.
| Dimension | Primary track | Comparison track |
|---|---|---|
| Work Cycle | Research, design, validation, and delivery | |
| Step One | Interpret drawings and requirements | |
| Step Two | Research and feasibility analysis | |
| Step Three | Design and specification implementation | |
| Step Four | Modeling, testing, and validation | |
| Step Five | Cost and performance assessment | |
| Step Six | Review, sign-off, and delivery |
Inputs: client and product requirements, drawings and technical specifications, material and process conditions, loads and operating conditions, cost and schedule constraints, applicable standards and regulations, and existing designs and field feedback.
Verifiable outputs: design proposals and three-dimensional models, key calculations and selection rationales, performance and reliability validation conclusions, cost and feasibility assessments, installation and maintenance plans, and design documents and change records ready for review and sign-off.
Complete workflow: interpret drawings and requirements → research and feasibility analysis → design and specification implementation → modeling, testing, and validation → cost and performance assessment → review, sign-off, and delivery, completing the loop.
US Job Zone 4 typically requires a four-year bachelor's degree; some roles have additional experience and Professional Engineer (PE) requirements. Practice and sign-off must be verified for the specific jurisdiction and employer. Degrees and credentials do not equal sign-off authority.
Mechanical Engineers' Objects of Work and AI Boundaries Editorial trial suggestion: assess proposal explanation drafting, information retrieval, and data comparison; check requirements, loads, standards, units, and validation conditions. CAD and simulation software do not establish generative AI adoption, and outputs cannot replace engineering calculations or authorized review.
| Produce drawings and models; this occupation handles design intent, performance, and responsibility judgments. |
| Compare drawings and design objects. |
| Industrial Engineers | Difference from industrial engineers: industrial engineers focus on production systems, processes, and efficiency; this occupation focuses on designing, validating, and delivering mechanical products, equipment, and systems. | Focus on production systems and process efficiency; this occupation focuses on designing and validating mechanical products, equipment, and systems. | Compare system and product objects. |
|---|
| Mechatronics Engineers | Difference from mechatronics engineers: mechatronics engineers focus on integrating mechanical, electrical, and control systems; this occupation centers on mechanical design and performance and requires collaboration within authorization boundaries when controls or electrical work are involved. | Focus on mechanical, electrical, and control integration; this occupation centers on mechanical design and performance, with authorized collaboration required for electrical work. | Compare mechatronic and mechanical responsibilities. |
|---|
Adjacent occupations require separate evidence of tools, qualifications, and responsibilities.
Next, test the direction through observable deliverables.
Organization, retrieval, and explanation drafting are editorial trial hypotheses. No empirical evidence was obtained of generative tools reliably designing or interpreting drawings for this occupation.
No adoption rate, effects, or employment outcomes were obtained for this occupation. Check data permissions, versions, and failure modes.
Task exposure does not equal adoption rates or a job elimination timetable.
| Work area | Task | Current change | Human control point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and Modeling | Design proposals and models | Editorial suggestion: trial drafting proposal explanations and retrieval; verify sources, units, and assumptions. | Check requirements, specifications, and standards. |
| Testing and Validation | Performance and reliability validation | Editorial suggestion: assess data organization and check original values | Have the responsible engineer review performance and safety conclusions. |
| Cost and Processes | Cost and manufacturing feasibility assessment | Editorial suggestion: assess quotation retrieval; estimates still require empirical support | Have the responsible person confirm costs and commitments. |
| Engineering Sign-off | Design issuance and compliance judgments | No automated sign-off | Authorized personnel issue documents according to jurisdictional and organizational duties; check PE requirements for services legally requiring licensure. |
Evidence method: task capability, organizational adoption, and employment outcomes are three different kinds of evidence and require separate verification.
Differences across directions: AI-related changes and remaining responsibilities vary across work specializations.
AI primarily changesEditorial suggestion: trial drafting, organization, and retrieval and record errors
Human responsibility remainsRequirements and performance judgments
AI primarily changesEditorial suggestion: trial drafting, organization, and retrieval and record errors
Human responsibility remainsConclusions and sign-off
Responsibility process: from checking inputs and limiting tasks to engineering review, documentation, and escalation.
Confirm requirements, specifications, and standards.
Assist only within known conditions and standards.
Have the responsible person review design, performance, and costs.
Stop immediately upon anomalies and report through the prescribed process.
Will cause design deviations and rework.
Control: Check requirements and specifications and reassess.
May cause equipment failure and safety risks.
Control: Calculate to standards and perform validation tests.
Will alter engineering and compliance responsibilities.
Control: Refer to a licensed engineer for issuance through the authorization chain.
Practice reviewable design and validation samples.
Retain design, calculation, and review records.
Define standards and sign-off boundaries first.
Available materials support task-level exposure judgments only and cannot establish a job elimination timetable.
Source: Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, 2025)Original source ↗
O*NET lists design, testing, and evaluation tasks; this does not prove generative tools can perform them reliably. Proposals require checks of requirements, calculations, and validation according to responsibilities. US PE requirements apply to specific service contexts.
Source: O*NET 17-2141.00 TasksOriginal source ↗
Distinguish three kinds of evidence: task exposure, organizational adoption, and employment outcomes.
Source: O*NET 17-2141.00 Detailed Profile (Skills and Knowledge)Original source ↗
Usage boundary: tool outputs must be traceable to original requirements, standards, and real objects.
Data for this occupation not obtained
No national occupational wage was obtained for this occupation. This item is not starting pay, take-home income, or a personal quote.
| Role Scope | Reference Value | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year bachelor's degree | Mechanical design roles | BLS: a bachelor's degree is typical in the US; 52% of O*NET respondents report a bachelor's degree. This is not a Chinese entry threshold. |
| Master's degree or higher | Research and development and specialized design | BLS states that some research or university roles require graduate education; this is not a uniform requirement for all R&D roles. |
| Related on-the-job experience | Engineering implementation and projects | A JobZone group preparation classification, not Chinese job shares or a guaranteed entry timeline. |
| US PE (not an academic degree) | Sign-off and practice | US PE does not equal a Chinese qualification. It is generally unnecessary for entry-level roles; US engineering services to the public depend on state licensure. |
Editorial employer setting; Chinese industry shares or demand for this occupation were not obtained.
Editorial employer setting; Chinese industry shares or demand for this occupation were not obtained.
Editorial employer setting; Chinese industry shares or demand for this occupation were not obtained.
Insufficient evidence: a national occupational median wage for mechanical engineers in mainland China was not obtained under the 2025 official public reporting scope. This page displays only a manufacturing industry proxy, labeled as industry-level, and does not fill the gap with proxy figures or US figures.
| Median | USD 104,110 per year | Approximately USD 50.05 per hour | The median in 2025 wage data. |
|---|
| Upper Percentile | USD 164,340 per year | Approximately USD 79.01 per hour | The 90th-percentile statistical position. |
|---|
Wages · 10th Percentile：USD 73,990 per year；O*NET 17-2141.00 National Wages (BLS 2025 Wage Data)
Wages · 25th Percentile：USD 84,130 per year；O*NET 17-2141.00 National Wages (BLS 2025 Wage Data)
Wages · Median：USD 104,110 per year；O*NET 17-2141.00 National Wages (BLS 2025 Wage Data)
Wages · 75th Percentile：USD 132,590 per year；O*NET 17-2141.00 National Wages (BLS 2025 Wage Data)
Wages · 90th Percentile：USD 164,340 per year；O*NET 17-2141.00 National Wages (BLS 2025 Wage Data)
No. Percentiles are statistical positions.
It uses the national scope for the precise occupation 17-2141.00.
2025 wages; 2025—2035 projections, not evidence of generative AI causation.
They cannot be directly combined.
| Industry | 2025 Industry Median Annual Wages for This Occupation | How to interpret |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Research and Development Services | USD 132,040 per year | BLS2025 median for this occupation within a detailed industry, not a broad-industry total or personal quote. |
| Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | USD 106,870 per year | BLS2025 median for this occupation within a detailed industry, not a broad-industry total or personal quote. |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | USD 105,560 per year | BLS2025 median for this occupation within a detailed industry, not a broad-industry total or personal quote. |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | USD 103,440 per year | BLS2025 median for this occupation within a detailed industry, not a broad-industry total or personal quote. |
| Machinery Manufacturing | USD 98,620 per year | BLS2025 median for this occupation within a detailed industry, not a broad-industry total or personal quote. |
US entry-level mechanical engineering roles generally do not require licensure; check state PE requirements for engineering services to the public.
BLS: a bachelor's degree is typical. A JobZone group's several years of experience is not an entry threshold for every entry-level role.
Industry and regional differences are substantial; do not extrapolate across regions.
BLS OOH Mechanical Engineers: Wages, Education, and US Licensure Boundaries
BLS OOH Mechanical Engineers: Wages, Education, and US Licensure Boundaries
BLS OOH Mechanical Engineers: Wages, Education, and US Licensure Boundaries
O*NET occupational interest baseline
RIC describes activity preferences only and cannot determine qualifications.First observe interest, stress, and collaboration experiences in real tasks.
Activity preferences only help design trials; they cannot establish qualifications or performance.
What Observable Behaviors Correspond to the RIC Interest Code?
The RIASEC interest code RIC describes activity preferences: physical objects and building (Realistic), analysis and reasoning (Investigative), and handling data according to procedures (Conventional).
Do not use it this way: Hiring, qualifications, or performance cannot be inferred from this.
Go to the career interest trial and design observationsWhich Tasks Demonstrate Attention to Accuracy?
The Big Five only provides reflection questions. Accuracy is assessed through review of requirements, loads, units, assumptions, and design records; personality labels are not evidence of validity for mechanical engineering roles or qualifications to practice.
Do not use it this way: Hiring, qualifications, or performance cannot be inferred from this.
Go to the career interest trial and design observationsCan Personality Labels Determine Design Fit?
RIASEC and personality frameworks can only help generate questions. They cannot replace evidence from mechanical engineers' work samples, learning ability, qualifications, and actual performance.
Do not use it this way: Hiring, qualifications, or performance cannot be inferred from this.
Go to the career interest trial and design observationsCheck with work samples instead of substituting labels for judgment.
First check actual tasks, standards, and responsibility boundaries, then decide whether to continue.
Do not use it this way: Hiring, qualifications, or performance cannot be inferred from this.
Go to the career interest trial and design observationsCheck with work samples instead of substituting labels for judgment.
First check actual tasks, standards, and responsibility boundaries, then decide whether to continue.
Do not use it this way: Hiring, qualifications, or performance cannot be inferred from this.
Go to the career interest trial and design observationsCheck with work samples instead of substituting labels for judgment.
First check actual tasks, standards, and responsibility boundaries, then decide whether to continue.
Do not use it this way: Hiring, qualifications, or performance cannot be inferred from this.
Go to the career interest trial and design observationsFits better when: Can turn requirements into manufacturable design proposals.
Watch for: Standards and costs must be checked.
Fits better when: Can design validation methods and explain results.
Watch for: Conclusions must be reviewable.
Fits better when: Can plan installation, operation, and maintenance.
Watch for: Safety requirements and regulations must be followed.
Fits better when: Can assess costs and manufacturing feasibility.
Watch for: Make no unsupported commitments.
Fits better when: Can assess energy efficiency and environmental impacts.
Watch for: Calculations must follow applicable standards.
Fits better when: Can collaborate with technicians, drafters, and clients.
Watch for: Sign-off responsibilities must be explicit.
Check through the work-sample experience on this page.
Check with a fictional design task.
Check against format and traceability requirements.
Document first, then reassess or escalate through the prescribed process.
Check against a standards checklist.
Assess awareness of documentation and traceability.
Review and approval follow local rules and organizational authorization. Separately check specific conditions such as PE requirements for services legally requiring licensure.
Complete a proposal and calculation exercise using entirely fictional design requirements.
How to reduce risk：Check requirements and specifications and submit for review and confirmation.
Evidence：O*NET 17-2141.00 Tasks
Typical scenario：Insufficient calculation of performance or safety margins.
Roles most affected：Performance validation roles
Possible consequence：May cause equipment failure and safety risks.
How to reduce risk：Calculate to standards and perform validation tests.
Evidence：O*NET 17-2141.00 Tasks
Typical scenario：Unsupported cost or manufacturing feasibility commitments.
Roles most affected：Cost and process roles
Possible consequence：May cause project losses or delivery delays.
How to reduce risk：Use verifiable quotations and process assessments as the basis.
Evidence：O*NET 17-2141.00 Tasks
Typical scenario：Issuing design or compliance conclusions outside authorized scope.
Roles most affected：Engineering sign-off roles
Possible consequence：Will alter engineering and compliance responsibilities.
How to reduce risk：Check the jurisdiction, service recipients, and organizational authorization. Services legally requiring licensure must be handled by appropriately licensed personnel.
Evidence：BLS OOH Mechanical Engineers: Wages, Education, and US Licensure Boundaries
Typical scenario：Unclear requirements, standards applicability, or safety conditions affecting design or issuance.
Roles most affected：Design, validation, and delivery roles
Possible consequence：May cause equipment damage or safety incidents.
How to reduce risk：Stop first and check site conditions and regulations.
Evidence：O*NET 17-2141.00 Tasks
Typical scenario：Conflating this occupation with mechanical engineering technicians, mechanical drafters, or industrial engineers.
Roles most affected：Engineering and technical roles
Possible consequence：May misalign standards and responsibilities.
How to reduce risk：Distinguish adjacent roles by O*NET scope.
Evidence：O*NET 17-2141.00 Summary (Occupational Identity and Description)
Typical scope：Capability ladder: before entering mechanical engineering, verify the official occupational scope, actual employer requirements, education or training, local practice requirements, and supervised tasks. Do not infer these directly from adjacent occupations. Advancement rests on reviewable design and validation records, not a guaranteed number of years.
Readiness evidence：Portfolio without experience: use an entirely fictional design brief. Within 60 minutes, write out the design approach, key calculations, validation methods and criteria, cost and feasibility considerations, and situations requiring confirmation by the responsible engineer, without using real client or company data.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Seven-day trial: spend the first two days understanding requirements, standards, and constraints; the next three days completing a fictional proposal design and calculation exercise; the sixth day asking someone to challenge the calculations and assumptions; and the seventh day writing down evidence for continuing, stopping, or changing direction.
Typical scope：Independently complete proposals, calculations, and drawing reviews.
Readiness evidence：Provide reviewable design and validation records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Transition path: before changing direction, list transferable skills in design calculations, validation methods, cost assessment, and project collaboration, along with standards, practice, and safety knowledge that must be acquired. Check each against the adjacent role's qualifications and responsibilities.
Typical scope：Take responsibility for complete-machine or system design and integration.
Readiness evidence：Provide system design and validation records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand into project and team responsibilities.
Typical scope：Mentor and review design proposals within authorized scope.
Readiness evidence：Provide mentoring and review records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand sign-off responsibilities according to employer and jurisdiction.
Typical scope：Learn validation methods, standards, and instruments.
Readiness evidence：Retain practice and validation records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand into independent validation.
Typical scope：Independently design and perform performance and reliability validation.
Readiness evidence：Provide reviewable validation conclusions.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand into complex failure analysis.
Typical scope：Take responsibility for failure analysis and propose corrective solutions.
Readiness evidence：Provide analysis and corrective-action records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand into reliability systems.
Typical scope：Learn cost estimation and manufacturing feasibility methods.
Readiness evidence：Retain estimates and supporting records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand into independent estimation.
Typical scope：Take responsibility for cost and process feasibility assessments.
Readiness evidence：Provide reviewable estimates and review records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand into project budgets and tendering.
Typical scope：Take responsibility for project schedule, cost, and delivery coordination.
Readiness evidence：Provide project delivery and review records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand into cross-departmental and external collaboration.
Confirm requirements, specifications, and applicable standards.
Complete design and calculations to standards.
Produce reviewable design and validation records.
Expand review and sign-off duties within authorized scope.
US nationwide · Display scope: 17-2141.00
17,800 openings per year
Openings (Annual Average)
Annual average over the projection period, including growth and replacement, not net growth or current vacancies.
Does not establish：Cannot be treated as an individual's hiring probability.
US nationwide · Display scope: 17-2141.00
USD 104,110 per year
Median Annual Wage
Median from BLS 2025 wage data, not starting pay or take-home income.
Does not establish：Percentiles are statistical positions and do not describe individual take-home income.
These are capability relationships, not automatic promotions or credential waivers.
Transfers：Mechanical engineering technology roles share drawing and specification interpretation, testing and validation, data analysis, and mechanical equipment knowledge. This is an editorial task comparison; design experience does not automatically establish field operating ability.
Build next：Transitioning to mechanical engineering technology requires practical assembly, instrument operation, measurement records, and supervised troubleshooting. Verify employer training and safety authorization; an engineering degree is not proof of field capability.
View career profileTransfers：Drawing interpretation, tolerances, and modeling.
Build next：Add evidence of target CAD drawing production, dimensional tolerances, BOM, and versioned delivery standards. Performance calculations are not the core new gap for a transition to drafting.
View career profileTransfers：Process understanding, data, and improvement methods.
Build next：Develop production-system and efficiency analysis skills.
View career profileTransfers：Foundations in mechanical design and assembly.
Build next：Develop electrical, control, and system integration skills.
View career profileTransfers：Process understanding and manufacturing collaboration.
Build next：Develop manufacturing process and production-line design skills.
View career profileTransfers：Foundations in mechanical design and validation.
Build next：Develop knowledge of aerospace standards and structures.
View career profileLook at observable behavior: can you turn requirements into manufacturable designs, perform and check calculations to standards, design validation methods and explain conclusions, and document and escalate insufficient information first? The RIC interest code describes activity preferences only and cannot determine competence or qualifications.
Drawing interpretation, proposal drafting, data organization, and retrieval are more amenable to software assistance. Requirements judgments, performance and safety calculations, cost commitments, and engineering sign-off remain primarily human responsibilities. Available materials do not establish widespread organizational replacement of design decisions with automation.
Requirements and performance judgments, safety margins, cost and feasibility conclusions, and design sign-off must be handled by responsible engineers and licensed personnel according to their duties.
National Bureau of Statistics 2025 average annual manufacturing industry wages: RMB 113,594 per year in urban non-private units and RMB 76,055 per year in private units; the national non-private total is RMB 129,441 per year. These are industry-level figures; a national occupational median for this occupation was not obtained.
BLS 2025 wage data: median USD 104,110 per year (USD 50.05 per hour); 10th percentile USD 73,990, 25th percentile USD 84,130, 75th percentile USD 132,590, and 90th percentile USD 164,340 per year. Percentiles are statistical positions and do not describe individual take-home income.
US Job Zone 4: typically requires a four-year bachelor's degree; some roles require related experience or a Professional Engineer (PE) license. Training and on-the-job experience usually take several years. Mainland China requirements depend on employers and relevant practice requirements.
The main risks are misunderstanding requirements or specifications, insufficient performance or safety margins, unsupported cost and feasibility commitments, and sign-off beyond authority. Responses include checking requirements and specifications, calculating and validating to standards, assessing costs with verifiable data, and signing off through the authorized chain.
BLS/O*NET reports approximately 293,100 employed in 2024, projected faster-than-average growth over 2024—2034 (approximately 7% or higher), and approximately 18,100 average annual openings including replacement demand. These are statistical projections, not an individual's hiring probability.
If you can complete a proposal, calculation, and validation exercise using entirely fictional design requirements, check it against standards, and escalate insufficient information, further exploration is worthwhile. Specific role and practice requirements are determined by employers and competent authorities.
Evidence for China, the US, and specific institutions is presented separately: wage, employment, qualification or credential, standards, and AI conclusions must not be combined across scopes. This page's US statistics use the 17-2141.00 scope and do not substitute for adjacent roles. Mechanical engineering design involves engineering and safety standards and practice requirements. This page provides occupational decision-making and research exercise information; it does not replace local law, employer requirements, practice requirements, or other professional advice. Any statement of insufficient evidence means only that a bounded search did not establish safely matching data; proxies or memory are not used to fabricate figures.
FermatMind research workflow
O*NET 2026 occupational profile; accessed 2026-09-25
O*NET 17-2141.00 Summary (Occupational Identity and Description)
Limitations：US occupational scope; no exact equivalent mapping in mainland China is presumed.
Limitations：Task samples do not mean every role performs all tasks.
Limitations：US work context does not replace Chinese law or employer requirements.
Limitations：Preparation level is not a uniform hiring threshold.
Limitations：Preparation level is not a uniform hiring threshold.
Limitations：Percentiles are statistical positions and do not describe individual take-home income.
Limitations：Includes replacement demand and does not equal net job growth.
Limitations：Industry distribution signals employer settings, not demand forecasts.
Limitations：These do not constitute uniform hiring or assessment standards.
Limitations：Industry averages are not occupational medians and exclude individual businesses and freelancers.
Limitations：No entry precisely corresponding to O*NET 17-2141.00 was obtained.
Limitations：An exposure index does not equal adoption rates, employment outcomes, or hiring probability.
Limitations：An editorial scale is not evidence of adoption rates, layoffs, regulations, or licenses and credentials.
Limitations：US occupational scope; does not imply that all engineering judgments require PE licensure or equivalent Chinese qualifications.
Limitations：Editorial ratings use the existing occupational responsibilities and AI task analysis on this page. They are not adoption rates, measured effects, job-disappearance or personal-unemployment probabilities, or official scores from Stanford or another external institution. No measured time weights or future robot deployment are assumed.
O*NET17-2141 tasks, RIC, JobZone4, and 2025 five-percentile and hourly wages were checked and correctly retained. Current projections: 298500 to 332000, 11%, net increase 33500, annual average 17800; industries 44 / 32 / 24. A distinct BLS OOH source was added for detailed-industry wages for this occupation and US PE service contexts. NBS2025 manufacturing 113594 / 76055 and all non-private 129441 provide industry context. The human resources ministry's 2021 catalog interpretation explains the removal of registered mechanical engineers, not exemption of all engineering from licensure. Shared FAQ and registry entries retain older projections and original broad sign-off statements; this local update does not certify whole-page consistency.
Typical scope：Improve validation and analysis methods within authorized scope.
Readiness evidence：Provide comparative records before and after improvement.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Expand authorization according to employer and jurisdiction.
Typical scope：Support review and sign-off preparation within authorized scope.
Readiness evidence：Provide review and sign-off preparation records.
Credential boundary：Verify against the specific jurisdiction's and employer's rules.
Next moves：Obtain sign-off qualifications according to employer and jurisdiction.
