Electrical Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer: what energy employers ask for
As of 29 October 2026, Plutarch tracked 1872 open Electrical Engineer postings and 1500 open Mechanical Engineer postings at energy employers.
Skills and tools
Share of the postings we could read in full that name each skill: 1239 for Electrical Engineer, 1073 for Mechanical Engineer.
| Skill or tool | Electrical Engineer | Mechanical Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| Power systems / grid | 40% | not listed |
| High or medium voltage | 30% | not listed |
| AutoCAD / MicroStation | 29% | 21% |
| Power system studies (ETAP, PSCAD) | 24% | not listed |
| Protection and relays | 19% | not listed |
| Excel | 14% | 11% |
| SCADA | 12% | not listed |
| Battery storage | 11% | not listed |
| PLC programming | 10% | not listed |
| Root-cause analysis | not listed | 10% |
Certificates and licences
A mention is what employers ask for; it does not mean a law requires it.
| Certificate or licence | Electrical Engineer | Mechanical Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Engineer licence (PE / P.Eng) | 22% | 16% |
Where the postings are
| Country | Electrical Engineer | Mechanical Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 56% | 54% |
| United Kingdom | 7% | 6% |
| Canada | 6% | 6% |
| India | 4% | 6% |
| United Arab Emirates | not listed | 3% |
| Australia | 2% | not listed |
How many postings state pay
- Electrical Engineer: 508 of 1061 postings whose pay we could read (48%)
- Mechanical Engineer: 423 of 881 postings whose pay we could read (48%)
Pay levels are not compared here: each role's figures come from different countries and currencies. They are on each role's own page. Pay disclosure tracks local pay-transparency law more closely than employer policy, so the two rates partly reflect where each role is advertised.
“Not listed” means the skill, credential or country is not among those shown on that role's own page, not that no posting names it. This compares what employers ask for in the two roles; it does not count how many people hold those skills or say that one role can do the other.
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