Thinking about a career in STEM? Choosing education and employment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is likely to offer strong, long-term security and resilience.
New analysis by the National Skills Commission (NSC) shows STEM occupations are well insulated to labour market shocks – we call these resilient occupations.
Out of all 358 occupations, 92 are STEM-related, and of these, 46.5% were considered to be resilient. This is compared to 31.8% in non-STEM occupations.
During the height of COVID-19, employment in STEM occupations fell by just 1.9%. This is less than a third of the 7.0% decrease experienced in employment in non-STEM occupations.
We asked National Skills Commissioner Adam Boyton whether, looking forward, this trend may continue:
“The growth of STEM related skills is likely to provide a solid foundation for a successful career, with STEM occupations now sitting at 99.8% of their pre-COVID-19 level.”
“The resilience of STEM occupations and the importance of these skills to the economy means there are likely to be better employment prospects in the short- to medium-term as we recover from the impacts of COVID-19”.
The NSC analysis also shows that STEM occupations have a higher skill level relative to non-STEM occupations.
At August 2020, 75.0% (over 2 million people) employed in STEM occupations worked in a job with a skill level equal to a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with just 22.9% of people employed in non-STEM occupations.
There are lots of ways to pursue a STEM career, including through vocational education and training or higher education.
If you’re planning your next career move, have you considered STEM?
Explore Your Future Career now.
