The Future of STEM Jobs and Education
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers drive our nation’s innovation and competitiveness by generating new ideas, new companies and new industries. However, U.S. businesses frequently voice concerns over the supply and availability of STEM workers. Over the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as growth in non-STEM jobs. STEM workers are also less likely to experience joblessness than their non-STEM counterparts. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of the U.S. economy, and are a critical component to helping the U.S. win the future.
The greatest advancements in our society from medicine to mechanics have come from the minds of those interested in or studied in the areas of STEM. Although still relatively small in number, the STEM workforce has an outsized impact on a nation’s competitiveness, economic growth, and overall standard of living. Analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Current Population Survey provide new insights into the growing STEM workforce that is central to our economic vitality. STEM jobs are the jobs of the future. They are essential for developing our technological innovation and global competitiveness.
These factors make STEM workers highly desirable to companies developing or operating on the technological forefront and extremely important to the U.S. economy, as competitive businesses are the foundation of a competitive economy. As this analysis highlights, STEM jobs should also be highly desirable to American workers. Regardless of educational attainment, entering a STEM profession is associated with higher earnings and reduced joblessness. For college graduates, there is a payoff in choosing to pursue a STEM degree, and for America’s workers, an even greater payoff in choosing a STEM career.
There were nearly 8.6 million STEM jobs in May 2015, representing 6.2 percent of U.S. employment. Computer occupations made up nearly 45 percent of STEM employment, and engineers made up an additional 19 percent. Mathematical science occupations and architects, surveyors, and cartographers combined made up less than 4 percent of STEM employment.
Most of the largest STEM occupations were related to computers and information systems. With employment of nearly 750,000, applications software developers was the largest STEM occupation. Computer user support specialists and computer systems analysts each accounted for over a half a million jobs. Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives of technical and scientific products (334,010) was the largest STEM occupation not related to computers. Mechanical engineers and civil engineers, also non-computer-related STEM occupations, each accounted for over a quarter of a million jobs. But not all STEM occupations were large. Some were among the smallest occupations in the country, including mathematical technicians, with only 820 jobs. Astronomers, postsecondary teachers of forestry and conservation science, and mathematical science occupations, all other, each had employment of less than 2,000.
Wages for STEM occupations varied vastly. The national average wage for all STEM occupations was $87,570, nearly double the national average wage for non-STEM occupations ($45,700). Ninety-three out of 100 STEM occupations had wages significantly above the national average wage for all occupations of $48,320. Petroleum engineers was the highest paid STEM occupation, with an annual mean wage of $149,590, over $100,000 higher than the national average across all occupations. Physicists ($118,500) was also among the highest paid STEM occupations. Seven STEM occupations had annual mean wages near or below the national average. Environmental science and protection technicians, including health, and biological technicians had mean wages of $46,540 and $45,230, respectively. Agricultural and food science technicians and forest and conservation technicians each earned below $40,000 per year on average.
Employment in STEM occupations grew by 10.5 percent, or 817,260 jobs, between May 2009 and May 2015, compared with 5.2 percent net growth in non-STEM occupations. Computer occupations and engineers were among the types of STEM occupations with the highest job gains. Employment in computer occupations was nearly 3.2 million in May 2009 and nearly 3.9 million in May 2015. Employment of engineers was nearly 1.5 million in May 2009, compared with over 1.6 million in May 2015. Some STEM occupations lost jobs. In 2009, there were nearly 478,000 jobs in STEM-related sales occupations, compared with approximately 406,000 in 2015.
The STEM group that is projected to grow fastest from 2014 to 2024 is the mathematical science occupations group at 28.2 percent, compared with the average projected growth for all occupations of 6.5 percent. This group includes occupations such as statisticians and mathematicians. Since this group has the lowest employment among the STEM groups in 2014, this growth will result in only about 42,900 new jobs over the period. The only STEM group that is projected to show little or no change is drafters, engineering technicians, and mapping technicians, with a slight projected decline of 1.4 percent, a decline of about 9,600 jobs.
Over 99 percent of STEM employment was in occupations that typically require some type of postsecondary education for entry, compared with 36 percent of overall employment. Occupations that typically require a bachelor’s degree for entry, like software developers and engineers, made up 73 percent of STEM employment, but only 21 percent of overall employment. Over half of the remaining STEM employment was in occupations that typically require an associate’s degree for entry, like web developers and engineering technicians. Surveying and mapping technicians, for which the typical entry level requirement is a high school diploma or the equivalent, is the only STEM occupation that does not typically require postsecondary education for entry.
Among metropolitan areas with high shares of STEM employment, the specific STEM occupations that were prevalent differed. As a share of total employment, California-Lexington Park, Maryland, had nearly 49 times as many aerospace engineers as the United States as a whole, as well as high concentrations of several other types of engineers and engineering technicians. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California, had high concentrations of occupations related to computers and information technology, such as computer hardware engineers, computer and information research scientists, and software developers. Corvallis, Oregon, had high shares of occupations related to conservation, wildlife, and agriculture, including zoologists and wildlife biologists, agricultural and food science technicians, and soil and plant scientists.
STEM experts recommend that prospective STEM workers have a combination of skills, education, and experience for getting started in these careers.
Skills
Along with having a technical foundation, prospective STEM workers must have strong thinking and communication skills. People focus so much on math and science that they often ignore these skills. Ability to consider problems in different ways and then being able to explain a solution clearly is essential for success in STEM occupations.
Thinking skills: Critical and creative thinking help STEM workers in problem solving to detect mistakes, gather relevant information, and understand how different parts or systems interact with each other. STEM workers also need thinking skills to develop innovative, cost-effective solutions. Workers who think creatively may approach a problem differently—for example, by adapting knowledge from other disciplines.
Communication skills: Communication skills are important for working well with others and conveying information clearly, both orally and in writing. Flaws in communication are a common source of conflict. Communication skills include technical writing, public speaking, interpersonal communication, and the ability to explain difficult concepts simply. Learning some of these skills may seem intimidating at first, but practice helps. For example, you can improve your public speaking skills by practicing in front of small groups until you feel comfortable with a bigger audience.
Dr. Liz Sherwood-Randall has an impressive resume. While at the Department of Energy, she’s visited all 17 of our National Labs, met with energy leaders around the world and joined the world of twitter. A big believer in public service, Dr. Sherwood-Randall encourages young men and women to consider careers in service. She presented several critical thinking topics for those considering a STEM career:
There are many organizations across the country that offer aviation-related scholarships. Browse the FAA list of resources to learn more.
Numerous organizations across the country offer a wide range of minority scholarships. Browse the FAA list of resources to learn more.
There are many agencies, both government and private, that offer scholarships to students who are interested in pursuing a career in a STEM-related field, such as aviation and aerospace. Browse the list of FAA resources to learn more.
Link: http://www.esa.doc.gov/reports/stem-good-jobs-now-and-future
Link: http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/stemfinalyjuly14_1.pdf
Link: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2014/spring/art01.pdf
Link: https://energy.gov/articles/investing-our-future-empowering-women-and-girls-stem
Link: https://www.faa.gov/education/grants_and_scholarships/aviation/
Link: https://www.faa.gov/education/grants_and_scholarships/miscellaneous/