The Randstad engineering employee confidence index for the U.S. rose to a reading of 64.0 in the third quarter of 2013, up from 61.9 in the second quarter. Engineering workers were among the most confident of all workers tracked by Randstad confidence indexes, which measure workers’ confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment. Other industries measured include finance and accounting, IT, healthcare, office and administrative, and manufacturing.

“Given the current demand for talent and the skills shortage facing the engineering sector, it is no surprise that engineering professionals are feeling confident and secure with their jobs,” said Richard Zambacca, president of Randstad Engineering. “We continue to see demand for specialized talent like quality engineers, controls engineers and process/manufacturing engineers, and we expect these areas to drive the most job growth in 2014.”

Forty-three percent of engineering professionals believe the economy is getting stronger, up three percentage points from the second quarter.

The survey found 81 percent of engineers report they are not likely to lose their jobs over the next 12 months, up eight percentage points from the previous quarter.

The report is based on an online survey conducted by Harris Interactive, on behalf of Randstad, that included 114 adults employed in engineering.