The US Department of Labour has estimated that there will be a substantial growth rate of 30.7% for biomedical engineering jobs through 2014, over twice the job growth of all other types of engineering combined. They also emphasize the need for a graduate degree (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Engineers):

Biomedical engineers are expected to have employment growth that is much faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. The aging of the population and the focus on health issues will drive demand for better medical devices and equipment designed by biomedical engineers. Along with the demand for more sophisticated medical equipment and procedures, an increased concern for cost-effectiveness will boost demand for biomedical engineers, particularly in pharmaceutical manufacturing and related industries. However, because of the growing interest in this field, the number of degrees granted in biomedical engineering has increased greatly. Biomedical engineers, particularly those with only a bachelor's degree, may face competition for jobs. Unlike the case for many other engineering specialties, a graduate degree is recommended or required for many entry-level jobs.

Biomedical engineering offers a wide variety of potential career opportunities. While the market for biomedical engineering jobs is really a wordwide one, there are also local opportunities for graduates of our program in the Ottawa area (e.g. Health Canada, I-stat, Med-Eng, drug and medical device companies, CHEO's biomechanics lab, Patent office, etc.). And although there are only a few large biomedical companies in Canada, there are private sector job opportunities to be found in relatively young local companies. Some of our graduates also decide to pursue studies in medical schools.
A few web sites for job postings and information on the practice of biomedical engineering are listed below:

• Biomedical Engineering Net
• Job Post Canada
• Biomedical Engineering Society
• Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation
• US Bureau of Labor

(Thanks to Institute members Dr. Adler, Dr. Labrosse, Dr. Mussivand, Dr. Dajani and Dr. Munro for providing sources for the above text.)