National Science Board | Science & Engineering Indicators 2018 3 | 1 CHAPTER 3 Science and Engineering Labor Force Table of Contents Highlights................................................................................................................................................................................. 3-6 U.S. S&E Workforce: Definition, Size, and Growth ............................................................................................................ 3-6 S&E Workers in the Economy .............................................................................................................................................. 3-6 S&E Labor Market Conditions ............................................................................................................................................. 3-7 Demographics of the S&E Workforce ................................................................................................................................. 3-7 Global S&E Labor Force........................................................................................................................................................ 3-8 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................. 3-9 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................................................................. 3-9 Chapter Organization........................................................................................................................................................... 3-9 U.S. S&E Workforce: Definition, Size, and Growth ........................................................................................................... 3-12 Definition of the S&E Workforce ....................................................................................................................................... 3-12 Size of the S&E Workforce ................................................................................................................................................. 3-15 Growth of the S&E Workforce ........................................................................................................................................... 3-20 Educational Distribution of Workers in S&E Occupations ............................................................................................. 3-28 Occupational Distribution of S&E Degree Holders and the Relationship between Jobs and Degrees..................... 3-31 S&E Workers in the Economy .............................................................................................................................................. 3-38 Employment Sectors .......................................................................................................................................................... 3-38 Employer Size ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3-58 Industry Employment......................................................................................................................................................... 3-59 Employment by Metropolitan Area................................................................................................................................... 3-62 Scientists and Engineers and Innovation-Related Activities .......................................................................................... 3-64 S&E Labor Market Conditions ............................................................................................................................................. 3-72 Unemployment ................................................................................................................................................................... 3-72 Working Involuntarily Out of One’s Field of Highest Degree ......................................................................................... 3-74 Earnings ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3-76 Recent S&E Graduates ....................................................................................................................................................... 3-84 Age and Retirement of the S&E Workforce ....................................................................................................................... 3-99 Age Differences among Occupations ............................................................................................................................. 3-100 Age Differences among Degree Fields ........................................................................................................................... 3-101 Retirement......................................................................................................................................................................... 3-102 Women and Minorities in the S&E Workforce................................................................................................................. 3-106 Women in the S&E Workforce ......................................................................................................................................... 3-106 Minorities in the S&E Workforce ..................................................................................................................................... 3-113 Salary Differences for Women and Racial and Ethnic Minorities................................................................................ 3-118 Immigration and the S&E Workforce ............................................................................................................................... 3-125 Characteristics of Foreign-Born Scientists and Engineers ........................................................................................... 3-126 New Foreign-Born Workers ............................................................................................................................................. 3-130 Global S&E Labor Force...................................................................................................................................................... 3-142 National Science Board | Science & Engineering Indicators 2018 3 | 2 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3-147 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3-148 Definitions.......................................................................................................................................................................... 3-148 Key to Acronyms and Abbreviations............................................................................................................................... 3-149 References ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3-150 List of Sidebars NSF/NCSES’s Data on Scientists and Engineers.......................................................................................................................... 3-15 Projected Growth of Employment in S&E Occupations ............................................................................................................ 3-23 Patterns of Mobility of New S&E PhDs into the Business Sector............................................................................................. 3-45 A Broader Look at the S&E Workforce......................................................................................................................................... 3-83 List of Tables Table 3-1 Major sources of data on the U.S. labor force................................................................................................... 3-11 Table 3-2 Classification of degree fields and occupations................................................................................................ 3-13 Table 3-3 Measures and size of U.S. S&E workforce: 2015 and 2016.............................................................................. 3-16 Table 3-A Bureau of Labor Statistics projections of employment and job openings in S&E and other selected occupations: 2014–24 ........................................................................................................................... 3-24 Table 3-4 Educational background of college graduates employed in S&E occupations, by broad S&E occupational category: 2015 ............................................................................................................................... 3-30 Table 3-5 Relationship of highest degree to job among S&E highest degree holders not in S&E occupations, by degree level: 2015..................................................................................................................... 3-32 Table 3-6 Employment sector of scientists and engineers,