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The STEM talent shortage

“In science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM),” Jim Russell writes at Pacific Standard, “does the United States face a talent shortage or not? Like the brain drain issue, I started out on the side of crisis. The more I study the problem, the more I agree with “The Myth of the Science and Engineering Shortage.” Earlier today, I read a rebuttal to that argument and it gave me pause:

‘Let’s look at [Teitelbaum’s claims]. First, he, like most of the shortage deniers, argues that “U.S. higher education produces far more science and engineering graduates annually than there are S & E job openings”. But this counts social science and health degrees, which are not really STEM jobs. Moreover, it’s not accurate to count just job openings, you need to count all hires, including ones when a worker retires or leaves to raise a child. When you do both of these adjustments, the ratio is pretty close to one-to-one.'”

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