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Science and Engineering Labor Force |
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Highlights |
- Since 1980, the number of nonacademic science and engineering
jobs has grown at more than four times the rate of the U.S. labor
force as a whole. Nonacademic S&E jobs increased by 159
percent between 1980 and 2000, an average annual growth rate of
4.9 percent (compared with 1.1 percent for the entire labor force).
(More...)
- Even among S&E bachelor's degree holders working in non-S&E
occupations, more than two-thirds reported that their job related
to their field of degree. Because individuals use S&E
knowledge in a wide variety of areas, a purely occupation-based
definition of the S&E labor force is too limiting. (More...)
- Barring changes in degree production or in immigration, the
S&E labor force will grow at a slower rate and the average
age of scientists and engineers will increase. The age distribution
of individuals with S&E degrees implies this change. (More...)
- The total number of retirements among S&E-degreed workers
will increase dramatically over the next 20 years, barring large
changes in retirement rates. More than half of S&E-degreed
workers are age 40 or older, and the 4044 age group is nearly
four times as large as the 6064 age group. (More...)
- Labor market conditions for individuals with S&E degrees
improved during the 1990s; however, unemployment in S&E occupations
reached a 20-year high in 2002. Holders of S&E bachelor's
degrees had lower unemployment rates and were significantly more
likely to work in jobs related to their degree in 1999 compared
with 1993. However, by 2002, overall unemployment rates for individuals
in S&E occupations (regardless of education) had risen to
3.9 percent. (More...)
- The share of foreign-born scientists and engineers in the
U.S. S&E workforce rose to a record in 2000, reflecting high
levels of entry by both permanent and temporary visa holders during
the 1990s. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census show that, in S&E
occupations, approximately 17 percent of bachelor's degree holders,
29 percent of master's degree holders, and 38 percent of doctorate
holders are foreign born. (More...)
- A decline in student, exchange, and temporary high-skilled
worker visas issued since 2001 interrupted a long-term trend of
growth. The number of student visas and of temporary high-skilled
worker visas issued both declined by more than one-fourth since
FY 2001. These declines were due both to fewer applications and
to an increase in the proportion of visa applications rejected.
(More...)
- There is increased recruitment of high-skilled labor, including
scientists and engineers, by many national governments and private
firms. For example, in 1999, 241,000 individuals entered Japan
with temporary high-skill work visas, a 75 percent increase over
1992. (More...)
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