Thermal Engineer
Snapshot
Thermal engineers design systems which provide heating or cooling, using thermodynamics, that transfer heat or energy through liquids and gases. They also construct these systems, and perform test to ensure proper functionality.
Thermal engineers are professionals specializing in the application of thermodynamics to design, develop, and test systems involving heat transfer. Your daily work might involve modelling complex thermal processes using software, selecting appropriate materials for high-temperature environments, or troubleshooting performance issues in existing heating and cooling infrastructure. You’ll leverage your understanding of liquids, gases, and energy to optimise efficiency and ensure safety.
- • Designing and modelling thermal systems, such as HVAC systems, heat exchangers, and cooling solutions.
- • Conducting tests and analyses to validate system performance and identify areas for improvement.
- • Selecting materials and components that can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Science and engineering professionals — 274 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland and 4 more.
Longest-running shortage: Ireland, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $122,930 2025-05 | +2.1% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2025 * | — | +35.5% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Shortage reported Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £51,950 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for thermal engineer
The outlook for thermal engineer reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could thermal engineer change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- provide information on geothermal heat pumps
- troubleshoot
- manage engineering project
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- perform a feasibility study on electric heating
- perform a feasibility study on heat pumps
- use technical drawing software
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Advanced Manufacturing
A typical day as a thermal engineer
09 09:00 · Morning design an electric heating system
10 10:30 · Mid-morning design passive energy measures
12 12:00 · Midday design thermal equipment
14 14:00 · Afternoon design thermal requirements
15 15:30 · Late afternoon interpret 2D plans
17 17:00 · Wrap-up operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heating
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
-
perform a feasibility study on electric heating
Perform the evaluation and assessment of the potential of electric heating. Realise a standardised study to determine whether the application of electric heating is appropriate under the given condition and conduct research to support the process of decision making.
-
perform a feasibility study on heat pumps
Perform the evaluation and assessment of the potential of a heat pump system. Realise a standardised study to determine costs and restrictions, and conduct research to support the process of decision making.
-
adjust engineering designs
Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.
-
design thermal equipment
Conceptually design equipment for healing and cooling using heat transfer principles such as conduction, convection, radiation and combustion. The temperature for these devices should stay stable and optimal, since they continually move heat around the system.
-
use technical drawing software
Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.
-
use thermal analysis
Use software tools such as Icepak, Fluens and FloTHERM as a means to develop and optimize thermal control designs in order to cope with a wide range of difficult problems regarding thermal products and properties of thermal materials.
-
design an electric heating system
Design the details of electric heating systems. Calculate the needed capacity for space heating under given conditions complying with available electrical power supply.
-
approve engineering design
Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.
-
design engineering components
Design engineering parts, assemblies, products, or systems.
-
design passive energy measures
Design systems that achieve energy performance using passive measures (i.e. natural light and ventilation, control of solar gains), are less prone to failures and without maintenance costs and requirements. Complement passive measures with as few as necessary active measures.
-
interpret 3D plans
Interpret and understand plans and drawings in manufacturing processes which include representations in three dimensions.
-
interpret 2D plans
Interpret and understand plans and drawings in manufacturing processes which include representations in two dimensions.
-
provide information on geothermal heat pumps
Provide organisations and individuals searching for alternative methods to provide buildings with energy on the cost, benefits, and negative aspects of the installation and use of geothermal heat pumps for utility services, and what one must take into account when considering the purchase and installation of geothermal heat pumps.
-
troubleshoot
Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
-
use thermal management
Provide thermal management solutions for product design, system development and electronic devices used to protect high power systems and applications in demanding environments. These can be eventually collaborated with customers or other engineers.
-
perform scientific research
Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.
engineering processes
The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.
heat transfer processes
Field of information which distinguishes three types of heat transfers, such as conduction, convection and radiation. These processes set limits to the performance of thermal engineered components and systems.
mechanical engineering
Discipline that applies principles of physics, engineering and materials science to design, analyse, manufacture and maintain mechanical systems.
thermal materials
Field of information which distinguishes different kinds of thermally conductive and interface materials such as thermal modules used in electronic instrumentation and several energy applications. Their intention is to dissipate heat.
combined heat and power generation
Technology that generates electricity and captures the heat that would otherwise be wasted to provide steam or hot water, that can be used for space heating, cooling, domestic hot water and industrial processes, thus contributing to energy performance.
distribution of heating cooling and hot water
The design principles of water distribution systems for heating, cooling and domestic hot water and the relation with insulation, energy saving by optimal hydraulic design. The nature of energy loss in these systems caused by heat transfer, pressure loss (resistance of tubes and valves) and electrical power for pumps and valves.
- engineering principles
- fluid mechanics
- mechanics
- sustainable technologies
- technical drawings
- thermodynamics
Path to become a thermal engineer
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Bachelor's or equivalent level
1,686 programmes in 27 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 270 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
MSC IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
University of Galway · Ireland
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering with Energy
Technological University of the Shannon · Ireland
These are 6 of 1,956.
Sources
- 1. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 2. Source: Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (students.kuccps.ac.ke).
- 3. Source: Study in Korea, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) (studyinkorea.go.kr).
- 4. Source: YÖK Atlas, Council of Higher Education (yokatlas.yok.gov.tr).
- 5. Contains information from MySkillsFuture Course Run accessed on 2026-09-28 from data.gov.sg which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0 (https://data.gov.sg/open-data-licence)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does thermal engineer fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of industries employ thermal engineers?
What skills are most important for a thermal engineer?
Is this a role that often requires fieldwork or lab work?
Is there a shortage of Thermal Engineer in Europe?
How much does Thermal Engineer pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data