By Franz Bautista
Take stock of your immediate surroundings. Without giving it too much thought, name a handful of things around you that STEM has contributed to your lifestyle. It shouldn’t be too difficult. From smartphones to the car you drive and the internet you navigate, science, technology, engineering and mathematics have contributed wonderful advances to our society. But there could be so much more, and even better results, if we expanded the opportunities to a more diversified group of people.
While there has been steady growth in STEM-field occupations and the workforce employed in these jobs, representation across minorities and women has lagged. According to a Pew Research Center article on diversity in the STEM workforce, there has been tremendous growth in STEM employment since 1990, with a 79% increase (9.7 to 17.3 million), and “computer jobs have seen a whopping 338% increase over the same period.”
But, in parallel, the representation of Blacks and Hispanics continue to be underrepresented when compared to their overall percentage in the total workforce. The research suggests, while women represent close to 50% of the broadest definition of “STEM worker,” they trail in representation when it comes to the fields with the most growth: computer scientists, systems analysts, software developers, information systems managers and programmers.
In a more recent study, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) reported:
While women earned half of science and engineering bachelor’s degrees (50%) and associates degrees (49%), women only represented about one-third of the STEM workforce (35%) and their wages were consistently lower than men’s.Collectively, Hispanic, Black, American Indian and Alaska Native people made up 31% of the U.S. population, but 24% of the STEM workforce in 2021. They were more likely to work in STEM occupations that require technical skills or certification than in those that require a bachelor’s degree or higher education.
The research and statistics underscore the real opportunity in the STEM space. An influx of ideas and approaches from a more diverse set of contributors would only expand the enormous benefit we extract from it. When diverse thoughts from differing perspectives coalesce to collaborate, then increased innovation is the natural outcome. Research on diversity of thought suggests innovation increases by 20% and lowers risk by 30%. The innovation that propels us forward needs to be a collective effort to extract the best outcomes.
Beyond the societal benefit of a more diverse STEM industry, the individual STEM worker salary is the most practical utility. According to ZipRecruiter, nationwide average salary for STEM workers is $62 per hour and reaches as high as $80 depending on geography and occupation type. When you compare that to the $28 average hourly rate in the United States, STEM workers will earn 121% more on average per hour. As macroeconomic pressures weigh heavy on the wallets of all workers, the higher income generated from STEM jobs eases some concerns of how to weather the variability of the economy.
The higher pay also comes with higher-than-average job availability and demand for additional workers. The careers that require higher education degrees like engineering, medical and scientific research fields are generally better known, but STEM careers also include jobs that do not require college degrees and have relatively low barriers to entry. For example, welding, engineering and pharmacy technicians are all STEM-related occupations and can be achieved through trade education paths. And each job has an average annual salary of over $100,000.
We can improve on the gains achieved by championing STEM and campaign for its incorporation in education at all levels. And while women and minority inclusion have—to varying degrees—been improved over the years, a continued push from public and private entities would contribute greatly to future successes. What cannot be understated is the tangible evidence that shows the importance of diversity in STEM and how it benefits all society and its workforce.
Franz Bautista is a marketer and small business owner located in Los Angeles. After spending 25 years in corporate and agency leadership roles, he pivoted to small business ownership in 2022. He is now the owner/operator of a Code Ninjas franchise in Sherman Oaks/Studio City, California. Code Ninjas is a computer programming and STEM education center focused on grade school (ages 5-14) students. Bautista received both his bachelor’s in journalism from Seaver College and an MBA from the Gradziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University.
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