Don Grimes, senior research economist at the Institute for Research on Labor, Employment and the Economy, said that the automotive market is expanding for new engineering graduates.

“I think (the government) will be increasing pressure to obtain new thinking in terms of the engineering side of these companies,” Grimes said. “The irony is that right now, things may be really hard for people looking for jobs in the auto industry, but when things turn around I think there will be more intensive pressure to hire new blood in (the automotive industry).”

Grimes added that he expects the automotive industry to experience a turnaround within one year from now.

Munson said the College of Engineering is changing its curriculum to accommodate the changing automotive market and the government’s push for renewable energy sources.

“I think we’re going to see more courses developed (that are) related to electric power and vehicle electrification and more courses related to batteries and energy storage,” Munson said. “We’re actively hiring new faculty in those areas.”

Munson said that the College of Engineering is looking to hire approximately 10 new faculty members in the areas of electric power, batteries and energy storage.

He added that students studying these fields, in addition to the field of Energy Systems Engineering, will have no difficulty finding a job in the near future, Munson said.

“(For) students in electric power or ESE, their job prospects in the auto industry are going to be excellent,” Munson said.