When it comes to STEM professionals, they're all about leveraging statistics to make data-informed decisions. Over the last couple of decades, education leaders have been doing more and more of that as well. When it comes to STEM statistics, there's so much we can learn about the current state of the STEM workforce. Educators and students need more than that, however. Students need to know what the landscape will look like when they'll be a part of it. Of course, this is extremely difficult to predict but, using past research and updating metrics helps us better understand what students should prepare for. And, while some figures might be believable, there are likely plenty of others that are surprising.
Key Statistics About the STEM Workforce
Since it's so heavily influenced by facts and figures, it's no surprise that there's a whole lot of data about working in STEM industries. Those industries, themselves, cover so many areas—from computer science to medicine and everything in between. We're, however, more interested in using this data to hopefully understand how current trends will inform future occurrences. One of those key statistics has to do with diversity. Over the last year, we've certainly done our fair share of research and advocacy for equality, equity, and diversity in STEM. To that end, it's important to note that both Black and Hispanic individuals remain underrepresented in STEM professions. According to experts from the Pew Research Center, Black professionals make up just 9 percent of the STEM workforce while Hispanic workers make up just 8 percent.
Advocating for women in STEM.
One of the other key statistics when it comes to STEM professions relates to women and their representation. Women actually make up a decent percentage of the STEM workforce (47 percent), but their roles are largely centralized. Most of them are part of the healthcare industry, for example, serving as healthcare practitioners and technicians, specifically. According to the same article, it's engineering, computer science, and physical science where women are much less common. Conversely, the amount of women in STEM professions (science specifically) has gone up a good amount since the 1990s. Despite remaining lower than we'd perhaps like, the fact that the numbers are improving is a good sign.
STEM is where the money is.
It's no secret that securing a STEM career comes with some financial comfort. That's not our main reason for advocating for educating today's students to fill these roles, but it can certainly encourage some of them to remain committed. When it comes to earnings in STEM industries, STEM professionals generally earn more than professionals in all other non-STEM roles. According to the article, a STEM worker in his or her 20s can make $30,000 more per year than someone in a non-STEM profession. At the same time, however, women in STEM professions still tend to make less than men in the same roles. This is the same for workers who aren't white as well. While it may be discouraging, understanding that these gaps exist is the first step to removing them.
STEM Statistics Students May Want to Know
Understandably, there is an endless number of statistics when it comes to STEM. Some students may have little interest in pursuing a STEM career and that's totally fine. If they're on the cusp, however, there are a number of reasons knowing the facts might help give them some extra motivation. As we know, many students ultimately decide against this and why students leave STEM majors is sometimes confusing. The benefits of STEM education are extensive and often reverberate throughout the years. With statistics to back them up, educators could make a huge difference for students who are on the fence.
Growth in STEM jobs and pay.
Let's start with job growth in the STEM industries. Experts are predicting that, by 2029, STEM jobs will have increased by at least eight percent. The highest growth is expected to be in engineering, computing, and technical manufacturing jobs and STEM job growth, specifically, is expected to continue to outpace growth of non-STEM jobs. One of the other key areas in which growing job availability is predicted is in software development. According to research in an article from iD TECH, this growth could top out at as high as 22 percent. Even with all these job openings, STEM employment has grown a staggering 79 percent since 1990, according to information from the same article. Most eye-catching are the salary figures. According to this research, the average STEM worker earns $89,000 while the average non-STEM worker earns just $40,000.
Some cause for concern.
We hear pretty regularly how the US is 'falling behind' in terms of children receiving the most advantageous education for the world they'll eventually enter. There are, in fact, some statistics to back those claims up. One of those, according to findings from the same article, is that of the top 64 countries, the US ranks 30th in math education and 11th in science education. Furthermore, only about 20 percent of high school graduates enter college prepared for STEM course work. What's perhaps more discouraging is that about 75 percent of middle school girls claim to have an interest in STEM. Only about 18 percent of them, however, make up computer science undergrads. While there has been considerable progress made, we know that plenty of work still remains.
Statistics Say Lack of STEM Workers is Concerning
Like we've said, we've made progress in closing the gap between STEM jobs and qualified professionals. The world isn't getting less advanced, however, and that means, as time goes on, jobs will continue to appear in STEM fields and require technical proficiencies. Estimates indicate that there could be as many as 3.5 million open STEM jobs by 2025. The conversations around this issue are often largely the same. Students shy away from STEM because of a perceived lack of skills, interest, or mentorship. This leads to education officials, often in conjunction with elected officials, scrambling to come up with long-term solutions. Despite these efforts, the statistics, however, continue to indicate a shortage of qualified STEM workers in the pipeline.
STEM is a part of more and more careers.
Data also shows that students are catching on to the importance of STEM education. They're more likely to pursue STEM interests than their parents would have been for sure. The problem, however, is that, even as more students pursue STEM, the amount of unfilled jobs has also skyrocketed. Beyond that, STEM has permeated other industries traditionally thought to be more on the non-STEM side of things. In manufacturing, for example, everyday labor has become much more technical. Not only do these workers need technical knowhow, they need a lot of the problem-solving skills that are most in-demand. In order to keep up, educators have had to play an increasing role in student STEM development.
Increasing awareness of shortages.
Part of the issue is that, if they're not directly tied in to a STEM industry, the average person is likely not aware of this issue. This means parents might not be pushing their children a little extra to explore something new and STEM related. It also means that educators might not be aware of the importance of focusing on STEM development in each lesson. With the knowledge of how STEM opportunities can impact a student's future, teachers could become better equipped to fight for STEM equipment and opportunities for them. We know they already have a ton on their plates, but building a subtle commitment to advancing STEM opportunities could certainly pay dividends for at least some of their students going forward.
Using Statistics to Close Readiness Gaps
The American education system is enormous. Those who lead it are responsible for educating tens of millions of students over 15 years or so. Each one of these students has a different background, skill set, social-emotional makeup, and a whole lot more. With this diversity in our students, for better or worse, comes gaps in the opportunities they have to learn and the ultimate achievements they earn. As STEM jobs continue to expand, not all of these students have the background in science or willingness to jump in. Also, when it comes to math education, these experiences can really help prepare students as well. The problem, however, is that there are also gaps there.
The relationship between math and STEM success.
In a technology and computer heavy world, we often forget that math skills can be a pretty good equalizer. A strong math foundation, partly because students can begin building it early on, can be a driving force in helping them develop truly relevant real-world skills. These include some of the most useful soft skills, like adaptability, persistence, critical thinking, and more. Specifically, having a foundation in math also helps students translate those skills to learning about coding. As we know, math is one of the most fundamental areas of education. Statistics show, however, that less than half of students are proficient in math and the numbers even start to decrease as they get closer to college.
Rethinking the fundamentals.
With the availability of these statistics, education leaders have an opportunity to impact these students. It's also an opportunity to rethink how we teach these critical academic subjects, like math. One option is to redesign math instruction in a way that allows teachers to focus on visual representation of the content. This has helped a lot of students improve performance in math classes. Though it's been such a fundamental part of education for so long, math really is one of the key elements that goes into preparing today's students for the future. Beyond that, it's crucial that underrepresented students have access to these types of opportunties as well and, hopefully, then we can really see readiness gaps start to shrink.
STEM Occupations that are on the Rise
While so many STEM jobs are being created, not every role is expected to grow. Some of the careers that have long been associated with STEM, in fact, are projected to decrease in popularity over the next decade. This may come as a surprise, but even STEM jobs can become outdated eventually. The main STEM job that is projected to decrease over the next decade is that of a computer programmer. Many other computing jobs, however, still remain in high demand. This is due largely to the sheer number of connected devices that people use. Factor in the constant need to be connected and the pandemic leaving many of use searching for digital tools to stay in touch and this certainly makes sense.
The connection between the digital economy and jobs.
The number of computing occupations is expected to grow by about 11 percent by 2029. Two of the roles with the highest projected growth are information security analysts and quality assurance analysts, underscoring the focus we place on keeping ourselves and our information secure in the digital world. The fact that the digital economy continues to thrive and mature is one of the biggest reasons for this expected growth. We've become extremely dependent on digital tools and entertainment, including the use of the Internet of Things. Perhaps without even realizing it, we use IoT devices a whole lot—from smart speakers to home security systems. Since they are so popular, this is another potential growth opportunity when it comes to STEM careers.
The STEM fields that will grow.
The IoT has been one of the biggest factors fueling the growth of the digital economy. Because of its emergence, many new tech jobs have been created and will continue to emerge over the next couple of decades. Besides the titles we mentioned earlier, other STEM jobs that will continue to grow the most include computer and information researchers, database administrators, web developers, digital interface designers, computer systems analysts, computer network architects, and more. Aside from computing, other STEM jobs that are projected to be in high demand include engineers, life scientists, physical scientists, and STEM teachers. Yes, the next generations will need qualified instructors to prepare them for this kind of future—something that's certainly interesting.
For the latest EdTech, STEM, and 21st century education news, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Like us on Facebook, too, or sign up for our newsletter for our latest product announcements and offerings. If you have an idea for an Eduporium Weekly theme, send us a message on social media or comment below.