The demand for these specialists in Lithuania continues to grow: a solid salary is promised to those who have just finished their studies

“The Lithuanian economy is strongly driven by an industry in which electronics specialists are in high demand. Hundreds of new jobs are foreseen on the market for electronic engineering specialists, while we have dozens of first-year students entering to electronic engineering ”, says Andrius Francas, partner of the recruitment company Alliance for Recruitment.

According to him, such a situation leads to an increase in the salaries of specialists in this field, which has increased by about 10 percent in recent years. The same trend is forecast for the next few years, according to a press release.

According to the forecast of the Employment Service, electrical and electronic engineers in Lithuania in 2021. you will have job opportunities above average. According to the companies that operate in this field, today there are many opportunities for professionals who work in the field of electricity and electronics, and their demand in the labor market does not stop growing.

More skilled workers are needed

According to Jurgita Macijauskienė, Head of the Human Resources Department of HELLA Lithuania, with the rapid expansion of Kaunas and other regions Free Economic Zones (ZEFs), increasing investments and the establishment of new factories, new industries, technological progress in production and logistics is growing rapidly.

“Production lines are becoming more and more automated, less and less unskilled labor is needed to service them, and consequently more skilled employees are needed to handle maintenance, automation, robotics, programming and the tests of these lines “, says J. Macijauskienė.

She points out that all of these jobs require a high level of knowledge in electronic engineering: “We are currently witnessing a rapidly growing demand for these professionals in the marketplace. This need will undoubtedly increase even more in the future. “

A. Veršinskas says that probably the most important thing that makes the city attractive to investors is talent.

“The more professionals, the greater the prospects for the city. The Faculty of Electricity and Electronics of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) is a leader in the region in the number of trained electronic engineering specialists, their competencies meet the needs of the market, but today there are still very few of these specialists to business. ”, Says the CEO of Kaunas IN.

Investments in Kaunas are not slowing down

Kaunas has recently attracted many new investors, and large investors in the automotive industry such as Hella, Continental and Littelfuse continue to create new jobs. According to A. Franco, another big player in electronic engineering in Kaunas, Kitron, contributes to them.
A. Veršinskas notes that the wave of new investment that has come in in recent years has significantly strengthened and highlighted the prospect of Kaunas as an increasingly important center for electronic engineering. In addition, interest in investment opportunities in Kaunas does not diminish: “Looking at the Central and Eastern European region, especially in the period of several years, it is impossible not to notice the development of Kaunas in the field of electronic engineering. This sector is developing very fast and this rate will not slow down.

According to him, due to the scale of the investment and the number of planned jobs, the market impact of Continental’s second stage of development approved this year and Hella’s development plans announced late last year can be matched. with the entry of a new investor.

“Just because you don’t always hear new names hitting the market doesn’t mean we don’t have new investment projects in Kaunas. Development is ongoing. However, perhaps in the near future the market will be filled with new names, “says A. Veršinskas, Acting Managing Director of Kaunas IN.

However, as the electronics market develops faster and faster, there is already a shortage of electronic engineers in Kaunas. The number of new students in the educational institutions that train these specialists has not increased for several years in a row.

Therefore, to take action today to solve the problem of supplying future specialists, the four largest electronic component manufacturing companies in the Kaunas region: Continental Automotive Lithuania, HELLA Lithuania, Kitron and Littelfuse LT, together with Kaunas City Tourism , Business and The International Agency for Urban Marketing and Investment Development Kaunas IN, the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and the Kaunas Technical School (KTK) presented a new initiative “The Future of Electronics”.

This initiative is expected to help double the number of new electronic engineering students in Kaunas in the next two years.

The importance of electronics is no less important than that of IT specialists

Society often talks about the need for IT professionals, but according to the interlocutors, electrical and electronic engineers are no less important in the development of innovation and innovative technological solutions in modern industry.

“The importance of electronic engineers is very high. The fluid and efficient team in manufacturing companies is the foundation of success, allowing the company to compete successfully in a dynamic business environment. A good knowledge of engineering and technology is essential for the development, improvement of new products and their implementation in series production. Therefore, it is very important that the company’s engineering team constantly improves, improves their qualifications, takes an interest in innovations and market development trends ”, says J. Macijauskienė, Head of the Human Resources Department of HELLA Lithuania .

In assessing why there is much more talk in today’s society about the need for IT specialists than for electrical and electronics specialists, A. Veršinskas visually calls electronic engineering “the sleeping beauty of future specialties.”

“Electronic engineering is no less important for the future than information technology. Even more so because electronics in some areas often overlap with IT, especially in embedded programming,” he says.

A false impression is formed in the field of electronics.

Recruiting professional A. Francas assures that the public still does not understand how important electronic engineering is to us. The ever-evolving Internet of Things relies heavily on electronic solutions, autonomous cars, sensors, various sensors, robots – electronics reign everywhere.

“Technological advancement has gathered momentum, so I think it will soon be said that electronics engineers are just as important as IT professionals,” says Franc.

In his opinion, young people know little about electricity and electronics, so the companies in this field, the educational institutions that train these specialists, need to talk more about it.

“The young people were not in production, so they don’t know the real situation. There is an image that production is dirty work and, in fact, there should be an ideal cleanliness in the electronics ”, says A. Francas.

A. Veršinskas also agrees that young people have an image of electronics and electronic engineering specialists that does not correspond to reality.

“Working in this area is as creative as in the information technology sector. The working environment created by the office environment and the computer is diversified into practical activities, especially in the laboratory, where work activities are carried out. research and development. Therefore, the work in the field of electronics is perhaps even more diverse and interesting in some respects, “says A. Veršinskas.

Immediately after studies: the average salary in Lithuania

The Head of Human Resources Department of HELLA Lithuania points out that the total level of salaries in the city and district of Kaunas is growing gradually even during the COVID-19 crisis and is one of the highest in Lithuania. These trends are also reflected in the segment of specialists in electricity and electronics: the level of salaries in the market shows the growing demand for these specialists.

“Most students in this specialty have the opportunity to gain practical work experience through paid internship programs during their studies, and after graduation, young specialists with up to one year of practical work experience can already expect to receive a salary. average in the Kaunas region or even higher.

With the growth of the specialist’s experience and accumulated knowledge, the salary increases accordingly. Salaries for experienced engineers can exceed the average for the Kaunas region by two or more times, ”says J. Macijauskienė, Head of Human Resources at HELLA Lithuania.

Mr Franco estimates that the salaries of novice electronics professionals range from € 1,200 to € 1,400 before taxes (€ 750-1,000 “practical”), depending on the experience gained during the internship. Meanwhile, pre-tax salaries for experienced engineers range from € 2,000 to € 2,500 (€ 1,200 to € 1,500 “practical”) and € 3,000 to € 4,500 (€ 1,800 to € 2,700 “practical”) for embedded systems. programmers.

“Considering that the median salary in central Lithuania is around 1,350 euros before tax, graduates in electronic engineering can receive it almost immediately after them. We can also talk about professional opportunities by gaining more experience and changing positions in companies: project salaries, team leaders, new product development (R&D) engineers are even higher ”, says A. Francas.