Demand for STEM Workers: Past Job Trends, Outside Job Demand, and Uncertain Futures November 13, 2007 B. Lindsay Lowell Institute for the Study of International Migration Georgetown University Presentation at The “Roundtable Series on Technology, Innovation, and American Primacy and the High-Level Roundtable Series on American Competitiveness,” Council on Foreign Relations, New York City, November 13, 2007.

Gauging Demand: Long-Term Trend STEM labor force has grown more rapidly than all workers since 1950 Information technology has been a major growth engine since the 1990s But yearly rate of growth has slowed over time, recent growth has been below long-term, linear trend; and structural shift in unemployment may signal softening demand in STEM jobs proper.

Generalized demand: S&E outside of S&E occupations Large proportion of S&E educated persons work in non-S&E type jobs How to measure S&E job content? –Substantial share of non-S&E jobholders use S&E education, but –Surprising share of S&E jobholders do not The number of S&E educated individuals is greater than broadly-defined S&E jobs

Future Demand ? Recall that recent trends suggest slowing growth The BLS projections are for high STEM growth, primarily computer occupations, –STEM not only hi/large growth workforce Foreign born are a substantial presence