The Economic Importance of Engineers
Given that the current times are resulting in an unprecedented layoff of highly qualified, skilled, and experience engineers (civil and structural in particular), it is essential that the contribution of engineers to the economy is not overlooked. On this point, James Dyson’s recent interview on Newstalk’s The Right Hook is thus required listening and is available on Engineers Ireland website here.
This interview came about from an article Dyson wrote in The Guardian about Britain’s engineers, available here. In Dyson explains the impact that the relatively low esteem afforded engineers in the UK (and Ireland also) has on the inventiveness of the economy as a whole. He contrasts this with continental countries (France and Germany) where engineers are held in high regard, and industrial output reflects this.
Engineers Ireland have also published a report on the economic importance of engineers, as reported here in the Irish Times.
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Comments
Comment from zhuzhiyan
Time: 22 September, 2009, 13:21
Failure to achieve in education will have economic consequences from Susan Hackwood, Board member of California Council on Science and Technology Projected Change in Personal Income per Capita by State, 2000-2020
Comment from Sace
Time: 14 September, 2009, 20:31
I would argue that it goes for most categories of jobs, not an engineer myself I tend to notice that engineers (as most others too) often see themselves as the most important part in all work.