Labor Day by the Numbers: Life Sciences & STEM Edition

Did you know that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) job opportunities in the United States are expected to grow 17 percent by 2018? Or that 39 percent of hiring managers believe science and clinical workers are in short supply?

The annual celebration of workers’ contributions and achievements in the U.S. is right around the corner. As we welcome Labor Day and say farewell to summer – hopefully enjoying the long holiday weekend free of work duties – peruse some interesting facts and figures pertaining to the many hardworking professionals in the life science industry and the STEM fields.

Employment Today

159.3 Million

Number of people aged 16+ in the nation’s labor force¹

12.3 Million

Number of employees in the U.S. manufacturing sector (durable and nondurable) as of July 2016²

58.4 Million

Number of U.S. workers aged 16+ in management, professional and related occupationsas of July 2016³

4%

Share of total U.S. employment that the nation’s science and engineering workforce – which includes such occupations as chemists, mathematicians, economists and engineers – represents⁴

6.6 Million

Number of employment opportunities created between 2010 (when the economic recovery began) and 2015, with most “good jobs” added in managerial, STEM and healthcare professional occupations⁵

92,354

Number of jobs posted in the life sciences industry nationwide last year – a 45 percent jump from 2010 – driven mostly by employment opportunities in chemistry, clinical trials and clinical research⁶

55,877

Number of U.S. job postings in 2015 for top four leading life sciences jobs combined: medical scientists, except epidemiologists (21,713), medical and clinical laboratory technicians (18,753), chemists (8,960), medical and clinical lab technologists (5,451)⁷

8,793

Number of U.S. job postings in 2015 for quality control analysts (3270), quality control systems managers (3,257) and regulatory affairs specialists (2,265) combined⁸

14,000

Number of U.S. pharma job openings in 2015, the three most in demand being drug safety professionals, regulatory affairs professionals and clinical project managers⁹

Hiring Outlook

50%

Percentage of employers who plan to hire full-time, permanent workers in the second half of 2016 – driven largely by IT, health care and manufacturing industries¹º

95%

Percentage of engineer-employing companies likely to hire engineers in 2016, particularly those in mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, chemical and control systems disciplines¹¹

60%

Percentage of life sciences professionals who see themselves working for the same company in 2017¹²

39%

Percentage of science and clinical hiring managers who believe scientific and clinical workers are in short supply¹³

51%

Percentage of scientific and clinical workers who believe they are in high demand by potential employers, with 61 percent saying they are in a good position to bargain¹⁴

600,00

Number of unfilled manufacturing jobs in the U.S., with 76 percent of manufacturers struggling to fill those positions with people whose skills match their job requirements¹⁵

17%

Percentage of growth projected in STEM jobs by 2018, compared with 9.8 percent for non-STEM jobs¹⁶

Typical Workweek

47

Average number of hours that full-time employees work each week¹⁷

59%

Percentage of workers who believe the traditional 9-to-5 workday is a thing of the past¹⁸

45%

Percentage of full-time employees who say they complete work outside of office hours – with 49 percent saying they check or respond to email when they leave work¹⁹

84%²⁰

Percentage of workers who typically commute to work by driving

7%

Percentage of workers who typically commute to work via public transportation²¹

$276

Average expense of going to work each month – including commuting, lunch, daycare, pet care, coffee and clothes/shoes/accessories – or around $3,300 per year²²

3%

Average estimated raise for all workers in 2015²³

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Resources:

¹ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), July 2016 Employment Situation

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ National Science Board (NSB), Science and Engineering Indicators 2016 (Digest)

⁵ Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW), Good Jobs Are Back

⁶ Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes, 2016 Life Sciences Workforce Trends (Key findings)

⁷ Ibid.

⁸ Ibid.

⁹ Randstad US, 2015's Best Pharma Jobs and Their Salaries

¹º CareerBuilder, Midyear 2016 U.S. Job Forecast 

¹¹ ManpowerGroup/Experis Engineering, Engineering Talent Supply and Demand 2016 (Infographic) 

¹² ProClinical/Staff Science, Employee Engagement Report 2016 (Infographic) 

¹³ Kelly Services, 2015 Hiring Manager Research

¹⁴ Ibid.

¹⁵ Randstad, 2016 Manufacturing Job Search Trends 

¹⁶ Adecco Engineering and Technology, 2016 infographic 

¹⁷ Monster, 2015 Labor Day infographic 

¹⁸ CareerBuilder, July 2016 survey findings

¹⁹ Ibid.

²⁰ CareerBuilder, June 2016 survey findings

²¹ Ibid.

²² Ibid.

²³ Monster, 2015 Labor Day infographic

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