This panel report was prepared as part of the study of engineering education and practice conducted under the guidance of the National Research Council's Committee on the Education and Utilization of the Engineer. The panel's goal was to provide a data base that describes the engineering work force, its main activities, capabilities, and principal employers. Chapters included are: (1) "Introduction" (discussing the role of engineering); (2) "The Engineering Work Force" (describing the numbers and characteristics, aging and retirement, and women and minorities in engineering); (3) "Utilization of Engineers" (information on employment characteristics and efficiency of utilization); (4) "Quality of the Work Force"; (5) "Resilience of the Work Force"; (6) "International Comparisons"; and (7) "Supply and Demand for Engineers." Many tables and graphs are provided. Appended are data on engineering employment characteristics, a questionnaire and a summary of the results of the informal mail survey of employers of engineers, data on the employment of engineers, and a report on the support of engineering education by the Federal Government. "Women in Engineering" and "The Social Context of Minorities in Engineering" are also included in the appendices. (YP)