S&E Workforce

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: fyi () aip org
Date: November 15, 2004 11:31:13 AM EST
To: farber () CENTRAL CIS UPENN EDU
Subject: FYI #146: S&E Workforce
Reply-To: fyi () aip org

FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 146: November 15, 2004

NSF InfoBrief Examines Aspects of the S&E Workforce

NSF's Science Resources Statistics Division (SRS) collects
information on many aspects of the U.S. science and engineering
(S&E) workforce, including ethnicity, gender, occupational group and
highest degree earned, from high school diploma to PhD.  An
"InfoBrief" issued by SRS in August examines "the occupational and
demographic characteristics of individuals who have been successful
in obtaining employment in S&E occupations with the academic
credentials of an associate's degree or a high school diploma."

"The S&E workforce of the United States depends heavily on graduates
with at least a 4-year college education; however, individuals
employed in S&E occupations with associate's degrees and high school
diplomas represent a significant portion of this workforce and
account for over one-fifth of all persons employed in U.S. science
and engineering occupations," the InfoBrief states.

SRS looked at the over four million individuals who, as of April
2003, were participants in the S&E workforce and had at least a high
school education.  Of those individuals, 7 percent reported a
doctorate as the highest level of educational attainment, 22 percent
reported a master's, 48 percent reported a bachelor's, 2 percent
reported a professional degree, 17 percent reported an associate's
degree, and 5 percent reported a high school diploma.

According to the InfoBrief, a higher percentage of individuals with
less than a bachelor's degree are employed in computer and
mathematical sciences and engineering occupations than in the life
sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences.  "Approximately 40
percent of all individuals employed in computer and math science
occupations and 20 percent of all individuals employed in
engineering occupations have no higher than an associate's degree,"
it says, while the life, physical and social science occupational
groups "have substantially smaller proportions (10 percent or less)
of individuals with less than a bachelor's degree education."

The InfoBrief also found that "the proportion of individuals
employed in S&E occupations with less than a bachelor's degree
education is similar for men and women - slightly more than
one-fifth.  This ratio does not vary widely across S&D occupations:
whether employed in science occupations or engineering occupations,
women are as likely as men to have less than a bachelor's degree
education."  It continues, "The percentage of those with less than a
bachelor's degree education in all S&E occupations combined varies
by race/ethnicity, ranging from 6 percent for Asian/Pacific
Islanders to 34 percent for blacks and 37 percent for Hispanics."

This InfoBrief is entitled "More Than One-fifth of All Individuals
Employed in Science and Engineering Occupations Have Less Than a
Bachelor's Degree Education," (NSF04-333).  It is available, along
with other NSF InfoBriefs, at
http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/infbrief/ib.htm.

###############
Audrey T. Leath
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi () aip org  www.aip.org/gov
(301) 209-3094
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