In the United States, computer engineers have a median salary $76,963 per year. The median stands at C$70,957 ($55,402) for those in Canada. The computer engineer salary in the United Kingdom is barely £22,988 ($30,638) per year, while in Australia is AU$55,640 ($42,672) yearly.
Systems engineers in Switzerland, which can include computer engineers, earn a mean salary of CHF83,851 ($84,563) per year. While in Norway electronics engineers earn NOK796,800 ($92,713) per year.
Computer Engineer Salary Influencers
For computer engineers, compensation depends on factors such as work setting, experience, and country of work. In certain nations, employee benefits are conferred via legislation and regulations.
1. Industry
Computer engineers populate various kinds of employers, especially those engaged in computer hardware manufacturing. The median annual salaries in May 2016 for computer hardware engineers in the industries in which they are predominantly found were:
- Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing – $124,220
- Research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences – $123,050
- Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing – $120,530
- Computer systems design and related services – $116,840
In Canada, the sector for professional, technical and scientific services employed the largest share of computer and other engineers, at 35.90 percent. Also, approximately 12 percent of these professionals in Canada are self-employed.
2. Geographical Area
| Computer Engineer Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | Switzerland | Norway |
| Hourly Wage | $20.83 | C$34.11* ($26.66) | £11.05* ($14.73) | AU$26.75* ($20.50) | CHF40.31 ($40.64) | NOK383.08 ($45.98) |
| Annual Wage | $76,963 | C$70,957 ($55,402) | £22,988 ($30,638) | AU$55,640 ($42,672) | CHF83,851 ($84,563) | NOK796,800 ($92,713) |
The (*) means that the hourly wage was extrapolated from the annual salary
Computer Engineer Salary in the US
According to Payscale a computer hardware engineer in the United States earns a mean salary between $48,329 and $129,516 every year. With bonuses between $206 and $20,444 per year, the total pay stands between $42,078 and $138,490.
Computer Engineer Salary in Canada
PayScale reports a mean salary of C$70,957 per year for computer hardware engineers in Canada. While they also get yearly bonuses of up to C$12,913, So, total pay runs from C$40,440 to C$111,873.
Computer Engineer Salary in the UK
For computer hardware engineers in the United Kingdom, the average salary is £22,988 per year. While the pay range spans between £16,057 and £39,917.
Computer Engineer Salary in Australia
The yearly salary for a computer hardware engineer in Australia stands at AU$55,640, while the total pay usually ranges between AU$37,000 and AU$120,000 every year.
Computer Engineer Salary in Switzerland
Systems engineers, who are involved with computers and information technology, hold a mean pay of CHF83,851 per year. These professionals also get yearly bonuses ranging between CHF1,583 and CHF13,000, while the total pay can be between CHF 48,479 and CHF 123,450.
Computer Engineer Salary in Norway
In Norway, electronics engineers who may work in the computer field, hold a mean pay of NOK66,400 per month, therefore NOK796,800 per year.
3. Experience
The median pay for entry-level computer hardware engineers in the United States stands at $65,000. At five years of experience, the median climbs to $85,000 per year, then peaks at $113,000 at ten years of experience. After 20 years experience and more, there is a drop to $107,000 per year.
Experienced systems engineers in Switzerland earn 25 percent above the median pay, while those in the mid-career level make 9 percent above the median. The pay for an entry-level systems engineer falls at 16 percent below the mean salary.
Working Hours
Generally, computer engineers are full-time workers. A quarter of computer hardware engineers worked longer than 40 hours per week in 2014. In Canada, approximately 97 percent of these professionals log full-time hours, compared with roughly 81 percent of employees overall in Canada.
According to the Australian Government’s Job Outlook, over 96 percent of computer network professionals, which include computer systems engineers, worked full-time. These professionals logged 39 hours per week, compared with 40.2 hours per week for all workers in Australia.
Bonuses & Benefit Packages
Bonuses for computer hardware engineers in the United States run from $206 to as high as $129,516 per year. While profit-sharing programs contribute up to $26,791 to these professionals’ pay. In Canada, bonuses reach C$12,913 per year and C$2,000 in profit sharing. While in Australia, reported bonuses reach AU$9,000. Systems engineers in Switzerland fetch bonuses between CHF1,583 and CHF13,000 each year. Meanwhile, in Norway electronics engineers receive bonuses of NOK2,500 monthly or NOK30,000 per year.
Salaried computer engineers in Australia, Switzerland, and Norway receive statutorily-granted job perks. These benefits include paid leave and employer-funded retirement. In fact, in Switzerland, mandatory employer contributions are the second of three tiers of retirement support. The first tier consists of Old Age and Survivors/Disability Insurance, and the third tier comes from voluntary employer contributions. The first two levels account for 60 percent of employees’ retirement.
In Canada, professionals are generally entitled to maternity benefits for up to 15 weeks. Canada entitles parents of newborns or newly-adopted children to a maximum of 35 weeks of parental benefits. While in the United Kingdom, “Statutory Maternity Pay” lasts 39 weeks. In the first six weeks, the maternity pay is 90 percent of the employee’s average weekly earnings. For the next 33 weeks, the computer engineer on maternity leave gets the lesser of 90 percent of average weekly pay or £140.98.
Job Outlook
Overall, growth in the employment of computer engineers should lag behind other professions. Development of software and mobile device applications drive much of the technological advancement. As a result, demand for software developers and software engineers should outpace hardware engineers.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 5 percent rise in employment of computer hardware engineers by 2026. The Canadian Government’s “Job Bank” projects by 2024 there will be 10,600 openings and 11,400 seekers for jobs for computer engineers and other engineers not already classified. While in 2014 Canada had 22,600 computer engineers. In Australia, the computer network professional occupation should have between 5,001 and 10,000 openings by November 2019. While the country had 29,100 computer network professionals in November 2015.
Demand for engineers on the hardware side may strengthen as automakers develop features such as autonomous driving, advanced safety-enhancement, and in-car entertainment or wireless systems for Internet access. However, computer engineers may also find work in the healthcare industry, renewable energy, gaming, and telecommunications.
Conclusion
Basically, for engineers working with computer hardware and systems, employment prospects may rise among automakers, healthcare equipment makers, and other sectors where computer hardware is necessary or increasingly in demand. Though, with the prominence of tablets, smartphones and other forms of mobile technology, software engineers will continue to be in greater demand. Generally, experience and the volume of the employer’s business will help enhance pay for computer engineers.
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