Engineers expressed higher optimism in the economy during the fourth quarter of 2012 as the confidence rating hit 57.8, up by 3.4 points for the first uptick of last year, according to the Randstad Engineering Employee Confidence Index.

"Modest recoveries within industry sectors in which engineers play a pivotal role, including manufacturing, are helping to revitalize job growth for the profession and improving confidence levels among engineering workers," says Richard Zambacca, president of Randstad Engineering. "In fact, our Index this quarter reflects growing confidence among engineers in the overall strength of the economy but also the future of their current employer and ability to find a new job. A persistent area of concern for engineers is in the availability of jobs, which declined further in our index this quarter. However, as is the case with many other fields, certain positions within the industry are estimated to grow aggressively in the long and short term.

"Industrial engineers and electrical-hardware engineers have demonstrated steady growth in the past year. Additionally, the trade group Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers indicates that one of the fastest growing areas will be in the service industry, such as consulting firms that provide engineering expertise."