Electronics Technician vs Machinist
Measured from each occupation's own live postings: mostly different jobs wearing similar names. Posted pay favors the electronics technician by about $22k at the midpoint.
The short answer
On pay, electronics technicians come out ahead by about $22k a year at the midpoint of posted bands: $54k–$94k against $42k–$63k for machinists. These are advertised figures from postings that state a salary, not estimates.
On skills, they are mostly different jobs that happen to share a name or a hallway. The overlap is thin, which is often exactly why people search this pair. The readiness numbers further down say how far a typical profile on each side already reaches into the other, and which direction is the easier move.
Electronics Technician
electronics technician jobs · electronics technician salary · careers for electronics technicians
Machinist
The overlap, measured
Switching, both directions
Electronics Technician → Machinist
What machinist postings ask for that electronics technician profiles usually lack: Welding / Fabrication, Mastercam / CAM.
Machinist → Electronics Technician
Transition estimate: 12–24 mo.
What electronics technician postings ask for that machinist profiles usually lack: Electrical Systems, Maintenance, Hand & Power Tools, Excel.
Open electronics technician roles
Elektroniker / Multimediaelektroniker 80-100% at Auto-Meter AGUrtenen-Schönbühl, Bern, Switzerland1d agoApply
Elektroniker/in oder Automatiker/in für die SPS Programmierung und den Aftersale Service 80 - 100% at Covatec S.A.Biel/Bienne, Bern, Switzerland1d agoApply- Electronics Technician (Biomedical) at Military Treatment Facilities under DHAEl Paso, Texas$75k–$97k3d agoApply
- Senior Electronics Technician at Air Force Services AgencyKelly AFB, Texas$58k–$69k4d agoApply
Open machinist roles
POLYMECHANIKER Drehen und/oder Fräsen (all genders) at Ländlejobs AgHaag (Rheintal), St. Gallen, Switzerland1d agoApply- Polymechaniker/in mit CNC-Programmierung und Prozessoptimierung at fachkraft.ch GmbHWinterthur, Zürich, Switzerland1d agoApply
- Polymechaniker/in CNC-Drehen at fachkraft.ch GmbHVolketswil, Zürich, Switzerland1d agoApply
Polymechaniker:in mit Erfahrung im CNC-Fräsen oder CNC-Drehen at Feramic AGStallikon, Zürich, Switzerland1d agoApply
See the whole board for both
758 open roles across the two.
Related comparisons
- Automotive Technician vs Electronics Technician65% peak overlap
- Electronics Technician vs Maintenance Technician49% peak overlap
- Automotive Technician vs Machinist40% peak overlap
Which one do your skills favor?
Run the instrument with your own skills and both numbers recompute for you. Free.
Quick answers
Which pays more, electronics technician or machinist?
On pay, electronics technicians come out ahead by about $22k a year at the midpoint of posted bands: $54k–$94k against $42k–$63k for machinists. These are advertised figures from postings that state a salary, not estimates. By seniority and country: electronics technician salary and machinist salary.
Are electronics technician and machinist the same job?
On skills, they are mostly different jobs that happen to share a name or a hallway. The overlap is thin, which is often exactly why people search this pair. The skills both sets of postings want most are Brewing, Blueprint Reading, Drafting, SAP, Lean / Six Sigma.
Can an electronics technician become a machinist?
Yes, and the numbers say how far along you already are: a typical electronics technician profile covers 27% of what machinist postings ask for. The instrument lists the exact skills that make up the rest.
Can a machinist become an electronics technician?
Going the other way, a typical machinist profile covers 39% of what electronics technician postings ask for. Our estimate for the move is 12–24 mo.
How many electronics technician and machinist jobs are open right now?
Right now our board has 175 electronics technician openings and 583 machinist openings, each linking to the original posting. The board refreshes every night, so the counts move with the market. Hiring the most electronics technicians at the moment: Spacex (14), Rocketlab (13), BoschGroup (8). For machinists: fachkraft.ch GmbH (110), Stellentreff AG (35), Das Team Ag (33).
Pay is the posted middle half; readiness is how much of the other role’s skill demand a typical profile covers. Refreshed nightly.