A recent analysis of real-time labor market data by Burning Glass Technologies demonstrates that the demand for STEM jobs is much higher than previously reported. The analysis identified 5.7 million job openings in STEM fields in 2013. About a quarter of entry-level jobs were available for those with less than a bachelor's degree.
However, there is much variation in demand among STEM fields. For instance, according to Burning Glass Chief Executive Officer Matt Sigelman, as reported in U.S. News & World Report, supply appears to outpace demand for medical assistants, while the opposite is true of CNC machine tool programmers.
Luckily, there are students interested in STEM who can help meet this demand. Almost half of students in the 2013 ACT-tested graduating class had an interest in STEM majors or occupations, according to the latest ACT Condition of STEM report. Findings indicate that STEM interest and achievement go together, although it's unclear how these interact in student decision-making, and the report also highlights disparities across gender, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
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