03/28/2024

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Jobs in California

Workers in the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) develop innovative products and solve complex problems. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts that by 2022 employment related to STEM will account for 13 percent of the projected 161 million jobs in the nation. In 2014, STEM jobs held 6.2 percent of total employment and STEM-related occupations in the U.S. had an annual wage of nearly $76,000, more than double the salary for wage and hourly workers on the whole ($35,080).

BLS forecasts that, by 2022, California will have the largest STEM workforce in the nation.

California will have more than 1.4 million STEM jobs by 2022, having gained 200,000 in employment, more than any other state. Other large increases in the nation during this period include Texas at 160,000 STEM jobs, and Florida, Illinois, and Virginia at between 40,000 to 60,000 jobs each.

In May 2015, there were two STEM-related online job postings for every unemployed person with STEM skills.

The ratio of unemployed persons to jobs posted online is a method to estimate supply and demand conditions in the labor market1 . Ratios above 1:1 indicate that there are more unemployed persons available to fill jobs than there are jobs posted online, or an excess labor supply. In California, the ratio of unemployed persons to the number of online job postings was nearly 2:1 in May 2015. Conversely, the ratio of STEM-related job postings to unemployed persons with STEM backgrounds was 1:2 in May 20152 . This indicates that there were two STEM-related jobs available for every unemployed person with STEM skills, demonstrating that job seekers with STEM skills have more job opportunities available to them than those without STEM skills.

View Article