Construction engineering job Scenario high in United States, though Congress in doubt
In United States, the science and construction engineering field proved more resilient overall during the financial downturn compared to the average, and their wages grew faster than the average profession.
However, the adequacy of the U.S. science and construction engineering workforce has been an ongoing concern of Congress for more than 60 years. Policy makers, business leaders, academicians, S&E professional society analysts, economists and others hold diverse views with respect to the adequacy of the S&E workforce and related policy issues. These issues include whether a shortage of scientists and engineers exists in the United States or not. The prestigious Congressional Research Service has published a report on this subject.
Scientists and construction engineers are widely believed to be essential to U.S. technological leadership, innovation, manufacturing, and services, and thus it vital to the country for the economic strength, national defense, and other societal needs.
Congress has enacted many programs to support the education and development of scientists and engineers. Congress has also undertaken broad efforts to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills to prepare a greater number of students to pursue science and engineering (S&E) degrees. In addition, some policy makers have sought to increase the number of foreign scientists and engineers working in the United States through changes in visa and immigration policies.
The other issues are what the nature of such a shortage might be (e.g., too few people with S&E degrees, mismatched skills and needs) and whether the federal government should undertake policy interventions to address such a putative shortage or to allow market forces to work in this labour market. Among the key indicators used by labor economists to assess occupational labour shortages are employment growth, wage growth, and unemployment rates.
In 2012, there were 6.2 million scientists and engineers employed in the United States amidst 4.8 per cent of total U.S. employment. Science and engineering employment was concentrated in two groups, computer occupations (56 per cent) and engineers (25 per cent), with the rest accounted for by science and engineering managers (9 per cent), physical scientists (4 per cent), life scientists (4 per cent), %), and those in mathematical occupations (2%).
From 2008 to 2012, S&E employment increased by 352,370, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.5%, while overall U.S. employment contracted at 0.9% CAGR. Viewed only in aggregate, the increase in S&E employment masks the varied degrees of growth and decline in detailed S&E occupations. In 2012, the mean wage for all scientists and engineers was $87,330, while the mean wage for all other occupations was $45,790. Between 2008 and 2012, the nominal mean wages of the S&E occupational groups grew between 1.4% CAGR (life scientists) and 2.2% CAGR (physical scientists, S&E managers, mathematicians). Inflation-adjusted wage growth for each of the S&E occupational groups was less than 0.6% CAGR, and in the case of life scientists was negative. Nominal wage growth for all occupations in the economy was 1.1%; real wages declined 0.5%.
Compared to the overall workforce, the S&E occupational groups had significantly lower unemployment rates for the 2008-2012 period. In general, though, the professional occupations (of which the S&E occupations are a part) historically have had lower unemployment rates than the workforce as a whole.
In 2012, the overall S&E unemployment rate of 3.6% was higher than for other selected professional occupations, including lawyers (1.4%), physicians and surgeons (0.8%), dentists (1.5%), and registered nurses (2.6%). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the number of S&E jobs will grow by 953,200 between 2012 and 2022, a growth rate (1.3% CAGR) that is somewhat faster than that of the overall workforce (1.0%). In addition, BLS projects that 1.3 million scientists and engineers will be needed to replace those projected to exit S&E occupations. The number of scientists and engineers needed to meet growth and net replacement needs between 2012 and 2022 is 2.3 million, including 1.2 million in the computer occupations and 544,300 engineers.
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