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Demand For 3D Printing Skills Is Accelerating Globally

This article is more than 9 years old.

35% of all ads posted for engineering jobs in the last 30 days prioritize 3D printing and additive manufacturing as the most sought-after skill.

Wanted Analytics’ latest analysis of the 3D printing and additive manufacturing job market found that IT and management expertise were the second most common skill sets mentioned in ads seeking to recruit engineers.  Key take-aways from their study and the growing market for engineers with 3D printing skills are provided below:

Key Take-Aways

  • The number of job ads requiring workers with 3D printing skills increased 1,834% in 4 years and 103% when comparing August 2014 to August 2013.  The following graphic illustrates the accelerating growth of 3D printing and additive manufacturing expertise needs of employers over the last four years.

  • Wanted Analytics found that the most in-demand jobs requiring 3D printing and additive manufacturing expertise include the following:

    • Industrial Engineers
    • Mechanical Engineers
    • Software Developers, Applications
    • Commercial and Industrial Designers
    • Marketing Managers – High demand for marketing and selling expertise as manufacturers, software and service providers look to launch new business models that capitalize on 3D printing’s many business advantages.
  • Manufacturing has the highest number of positions for 3D printing and additive manufacturing skills, with the following industries generating the majority of the jobs in this field today:

    • Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing
    • Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
    • Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
    • Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing
    • Aluminum Sheet, Plate, and Foil Manufacturing
  • Demand for freelance 3D printing and additive manufacturing expertise is flourishing globally.  Elance has an impressive 76,979 portfolio samples used by freelancers to promote their 3D printing, 3D modeling and additive manufacturing expertise.  There are 2,444 freelancers actively looking for 3D printing, 3D modeling and additive manufacturing projects, and 88 projects currently open.
  • Freelance exchange ODesk currently has 2,395 freelancers listed as 3D printing specialists and designers and 78 projects currently open.
  • Guru.com lists 367 freelancers with 3D printing expertise available and 180 open projects.
  • CAD Crowd has 3,760 3D printing freelance experts and provides a global map of their locations, which is shown below.