Boards aren’t the only things getting more complex. Workloads are too.

PCB designers are, by and large, a veteran crew. Many have been in the game for decades, steadily turning out increasingly complex boards while titles and org charts shift around them.

Likewise, the annual PCD&F Salary Survey shows a stable but strained picture. Respins haven’t surged, which speaks well for quality, but workloads are climbing and professional development support hasn’t kept pace. Designers say they can keep projects on track, but they’d like better resourcing and clearer priorities before the pressure ratchets higher.

Financially, the story is steady if not perfect. Salaries continue to climb and bonuses are common, but benefits have stagnated or dropped for a third of respondents. And although job satisfaction trends positive, nearly half see themselves stepping away from the role within the next five years – a reminder that retention and succession planning will soon be just as important as design rules.

Our latest survey paints a picture of a veteran-heavy profession, with 29% of respondents carrying more than 30 years of experience, and another 45% between 6 and 20 years. In short, the knowledge base runs deep (Table 1).

Table 1. Respondents by Years of Experience

Titles lean senior as well – “senior PCB designer” and “senior PCB design engineer” together account for 40% of respondents’ roles, reflecting a field where expertise is both widespread and expected (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Respondents by job title.

Day to day, the work remains hands-on. Some 61% of participants reported PCB design – schematic, layout, placement – as their principal function, and the majority spend over half their week on direct design tasks (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Respondents by job function.

When it comes to time allocation, most designers remain deeply engaged in hands-on board work. 33% spend between 51–75% of their week on design tasks, while another 23% devote 26–50%. At the high end, 13% reported spending their entire week on design, and 15% said 76–99%. Only a small share – 18% combined – spend less than a quarter of their time on direct schematic, layout and placement.

The designs themselves aren’t simple either. Multilayer complexity is the norm, with 83% of respondents handling 4 to 6 layer boards, 65% working on 7–10 layers, and more than half pushing into 12 layers or more. Technologies like HDI (55%), high-speed design (55%), BGAs (54%) and flex or rigid-flex (47%) are well within scope.

What’s striking is that despite this complexity, respins have not surged. Nearly 60% produce just 1–5 respins a year, and 81% say that hasn’t increased in the past 12 to 18 months. The quality baseline is holding firm. Nevertheless, workload was flagged as the top challenge for the year (48%), ahead of keeping up with technology changes (38%) and securing funding for professional development (39%). The message is consistent: Designers deliver, but they’re stretched.

Growing Compensation

Financially, the picture is encouraging. More than four out of five respondents received raises in the past year, most commonly in the 1–6% range, though more than one in 10 saw increases above 10%. Two-thirds collect annual bonuses, most often 4–7% of salary, and almost one-fifth of the respondents earn more than $150,000. (Although anecdotally salaries are climbing everywhere, the sum likely reflects the demographics and location of the respondents.) Another 40% fall between $100,000 and $140,000, underscoring the strong value placed on senior design expertise (Table 2).

Table 2. Respondents by Salary

Figures 3 and 4 break out annual salary by education and job title, respectively.

Figure 3. Annual salary by education level.

Figure 4. Annual salary by job title.

For comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2024, the median earnings by degree for all those employed (any sector) in 2024 were:

• High school: $48,360
• Associate’s: $57,148
• Bachelor’s: $80,236
• Master’s: $95,680
• Doctoral: $118,456

Benefits, however, tell a more mixed story. While coverage remains widespread – 87% receive health insurance, 78% dental and 73% 401(k) plans – cost pressures are evident. And 33% say benefits declined or became more expensive in the past year, compared to only 10% who saw improvements. Remote and flexible work is becoming a fixture, with 44% reporting telecommuting options, reflecting broader industry trends.

An Educated Workforce

The survey shows that formal training and certification remain important. Some 58% hold a bachelor’s in engineering, primarily in electrical engineering (73% of degree-holders). Graduate degrees are less common, with only 10% reporting a master’s (Table 3). Nearly half of respondents (48%) hold a certification.

Table 3. Respondents by Level of Education

The link between education and pay is mixed. About 18% of respondents said their degree was a major factor in their salary, while 33% viewed it as a moderate influence. For 25% it played only a minor role, and 20% said education was not a factor at all. Another 5% were unsure. The results suggest that while education provides a foundation, experience and technical skill often carry equal or greater weight in determining compensation.

When it comes to advancement, respondents credit a mix of factors. Networking and referrals top the list (59%), followed by formal education (48%) and certifications (43%). Personal portfolios also play a role (39%), pointing to the importance of both relationships and demonstrated design skill in career progression.

PCB design remains closely tied to large organizations. Two-thirds (66%) of respondents work for OEMs, with 12% at design service bureaus and a smattering at fabricators or EMS providers. Company size reflects this concentration: nearly half (49%) are employed by organizations with more than 1,000 workers (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Respondents by company type.

The primary markets are telling. Government, military, aerospace and related sectors lead with 37%, followed by automotive (22%) and industrial controls (13%). Consumer electronics represented 12% of respondents.

Happy Workers

Designers are clear about their go-to platforms. Altium Designer leads weekly usage at 59%, followed by Cadence Allegro (22%), Cadence OrCAD (16%) and Siemens Xpedition (16%). Pads still holds 12%, and KiCad has made inroads, with 5% using it weekly but 25% reporting annual use.

Despite the rising workload, satisfaction is steady. More than half of respondents rated their job satisfaction as mostly or highly satisfied, while only 7% expressed clear dissatisfaction. Designers value the work itself, but the outlook shows challenges ahead. Nearly half (47%) plan to remain in their current role for just 1–5 more years. Combined with the fact that 29% already have 30+ years of experience, the industry faces a potential retirement wave that will test its ability to attract and train new talent (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Respondents by job satisfaction.

Layoffs have been rare (5% in the past year), and job stability appears strong. Yet respondents voiced concerns about outsourcing (16%) and keeping up with rapid technology shifts (38%). These worries point less to immediate risk and more to long-term competitiveness and resource balance.

The Big Picture

The story of PCB design in 2025 is one of seasoned professionals keeping quality high while juggling heavier demands. Compensation tops that of their peers in other industries, tools continue to evolve and output hasn’t faltered. Yet the undercurrent is clear: workloads are swelling, benefits are eroding for some and nearly half of the workforce is already thinking about the next chapter.

This isn’t a crisis, but it is a crossroads. The field’s stability isn’t automatic; it’s earned, daily, by a community of designers who’ve built careers on precision and persistence. The opportunity now is to treat that stability as something worth protecting. That means investing in training, funding professional growth and building the pipeline for future talent.

Handled well, the PCB design profession will remain the quiet backbone of modern electronics – the part that works so well you rarely notice it. Left unattended, though, even the most resilient circuit can get overstressed.

Ryann Howard is managing editor of PCD&F/Circuits Assembly; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..