STEM Job Statistics

Thanks to Brandi for sharing this information.  I appreciate reading what the realities are in the current job market. 

Just a little STEM research from Dept of Commerce that you may be interested in. Below are highlights.  See full report at: http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/stemfinaljuly14.pdf

·         Across all levels of educational attainment, the largest group of STEM jobs is within the computer and math fields, which account for close to half (46 percent) of all STEM employment. Second are engineering and surveying occupations with one-third of all STEM employment, while 13 percent are in the physical and life sciences, and 9 percent in STEM management jobs.

·         define STEM jobs to include professional and technical support occupations in the fields of computer science and mathematics, engineering, and life and physical sciences.

·         Although STEM employment currently makes up only a small fraction of total U.S. employment, STEM employment grew rapidly from 2000 to 2010, increasing 7.9 percent. In contrast, employment in non-STEM jobs grew just 2.6 percent over this period. STEM jobs are projected to grow at a fast pace relative to other occupations. From 2008 to 2018, STEM jobs are expected to grow 17.0 percent compared to just 9.8 percent for non-STEM jobs.

·         a STEM degree is the typical path to a STEM job, as more than two-thirds of the 4.7 million STEM workers with a college degree has an undergraduate STEM degree.

·         all STEM degree holders receive an earnings premium relative to other college graduates, whether or not they end up in a STEM job. Likewise, college graduates, regard-less of their major, enjoy an earnings premium for having a STEM job.

·         In addition to higher earnings, workers in STEM occupations on average experience lower unemployment rates than workers in other fields

·         Among the four STEM occupational groups, the physical and life sciences have the highest-educated workforce, with nearly 40 percent holding a graduate degree – about double the share for computer, math and engineering jobs.

·         because STEM includes professionals as well as first-tier support jobs, we find that a number of STEM workers have less than a four-year college degree; nearly one-quarter (23 percent) have completed an associate degree or at least some college, and 9 per-cent have a high school diploma or less. So while it is certainly true that the majority of STEM workers tend to have at least a bachelor’s degree, opportunities also exist for STEM workers with lower education levels.