The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) released a new report on Thursday that profiles U.S. employment in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
STEM: Good Jobs Now and for the Future offers an inside look at workers who are driving our nation’s innovation and competitiveness and helping America win the future with new ideas, new companies, and new industries.
In 2010, 7.6 million people or 5.5 percent of the labor force worked in STEM occupations.
Key findings from the new report show that over the past 10 years, growth in STEM jobs was three times greater than that of non-STEM jobs, and STEM jobs are expected to continue to grow at a faster rate than other jobs in the coming decade. Meanwhile, STEM workers are also less likely to experience joblessness.
“This report profiles the fast-growing, productive STEM workforce and illustrates how we can win the future by encouraging the pursuit of 21st century jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said. “STEM jobs are essential to a competitive, innovative, and technologically-advanced U.S. economy.”
Further findings show STEM workers command higher wages, earning 26 percent more than their non-STEM counterparts. STEM degree holders also enjoy higher earnings, regardless of whether they work in STEM or non-STEM occupations. Likewise, college graduates – no matter what their major – enjoy an earnings premium for having a STEM job.
“A STEM education is a pathway to prosperity – not just for you as an individual but for America as a whole,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “We need you in our classrooms, labs, and key government agencies to help solve our biggest challenges, and that’s why we are investing heavily to promote STEM education.”
In comparison to the average worker, STEM workers are highly educated. More than two-thirds of STEM workers have at least a college degree, compared to less than one-third of non-STEM workers.
STEM: Good Jobs Now and for the Future is based on analysis to date from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Current Population Survey. In this report, STEM jobs are defined to include professional and technical support occupations in the fields of computer science and mathematics, engineering, and life and physical sciences.
If there ever was a time to Do The Wave for science and math education in South Carolina, the time is now.
Recently, Change The Equation, a national non-profit dedicated to solving America’s innovation problem, released its 2011 Vital Signs on the status of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The South Carolina report clearly indicates the time for change is now. We must improve the way we educate our students and teachers to ensure they are well-prepared to compete in a global economy rooted in STEM careers.
Here are a few highlights:
• Only 30% of 8th-grade students are at or above proficient in math
• Only 23% of 8th-grade students are at or above proficient in science
• Only 11% of seniors leaving high school have taken an AP exam in math; of those 11%, only 6% scored a 3 or higher
• Only 10% of seniors leaving high school have taken an AP exam in science; of those 10% only 5% scored a 3 or higher
Top marketing executives at U.S. firms are more optimistic about the U.S. economy and their own companies, with company performance indicators such as revenue, profits, and new jobs climbing across the board.
These encouraging results come from the CMO Survey, a nationwide poll of chief marketing officers (CMOs) conducted twice annually by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the American Marketing Association since 2008.
The most recent CMO Survey queried 3,778 top marketing executives at Fortune 100, Forbes Top 200, and CMO Club companies from Jan. 11-28.
CMOs rated the U.S. economy at 63 on a scale of 0-100, up from a rating of 56 in August 2010. Nearly 69 percent of CMOs reported they were more optimistic about the U.S. economy, compared to 26 percent the previous quarter. In contrast, less optimistic CMOs fell to 6 percent, down from 35 percent the previous quarter.
“Because marketers have the most direct contact with customers and the best perspective of their future plans, these results are especially credible and bode well for economic recovery,” said Christine Moorman, Fuqua professor and director of the survey. “All measures of customer revenue are expected to see gains in the next 12 months.”
CMOs expect higher customer purchase volume, higher prices, more new customers entering the market, and better customer retention. Advertising will see gains in the next year, with spending on traditional ads expected to rise more than 2 percent – the first foray into positive territory since before February 2009.
Spending on social marketing continues its upward trend. CMOs say their firms currently spend 6 percent of their marketing budgets on social media promotions, but that figure will triple to 18 percent over the next five years.
“The growth in social media marketing will be exponential,” Moorman said. “Smaller companies – with revenues under $25 million – in particular will increasingly rely on social media outlets to market their products and services.”
Moorman noted that although firms of all sizes plan to increase spending on marketing via social media, CMOs don’t believe their social media activities are well integrated with their companies’ overall marketing strategies.
In fact, 42 percent rate this integration as below average and only 11 percent of CMOs said their company was “very effective” in integrating social media into their marketing strategies. This suggests an urgency to utilize social media even before a comprehensive plan is developed.
“This approach is natural for such a profoundly innovative tool for interacting with customers,” Moorman said. “Firms are in a period of experimentation and observation about social media. Like television advertising in the ‘50s, this period of learning will define the winners and losers of this generation of firms.”
Completing the rebound portrait, CMOs expect to hire 50 percent more marketing professionals over the next year, with the service consulting industry expected to post the largest gains with 82 percent growth. U.S. CMOs expect most company revenues to come from domestic markets over the next year, while the international market with the highest expected sales increase is China, up 4 percent over February 2010 estimates. Business-to-business companies expect the biggest increases in Chinese markets.
Founded in August 2008, the survey is administered twice each year, with questions repeated over time to discern trends. The next survey will be in August 2011.
This is our take on this year’s Super Bowl bonanza of commercials. We didn’t have $3 million in our budget to spend for 30 seconds of air time this year, but we made one anyway. Enjoy it and enjoy Sunday’s game.
(Editor’s Note: Welcome to a new feature on NGC Communication’s official blog. These are a collection of unedited/random tidbits and nuggets straight from the minds of our staff. We thought starting it on 1/11/11 was a cool idea and plan to keep in going for another thousand years when that date sequence hits again. Hope you enjoy. If you have something to share with us, by all means post a comment. We would love to hear from you.)
TV By the Numbers
The Tostitos BCS National Championship Game between Auburn and Oregon attracted the top overnight metered cable television rating ever on Monday. The game drew a 16.1 overnight rating in its first year on ESPN. That’s 12 percent less than the 18.2 rating Fox drew last year. ESPN is available in 15 percent fewer homes.
It is higher than the 14.4 rating ESPN drew for a Monday Night Football game last year between New England and New Orleans. That was the previous high. It is also higher than the 2008 and 2005 BCS title games.The game drew a 67.0 rating in Birmingham, Ala., and a 37.5 in Portland, Ore. — the home markets of the two teams. It also did well in Nashville (28.8), New Orleans (28.6) and Knoxville (27.7). The game also drew 619.000 unique viewers on ESPN3.com — the highest viewed college football game on the broadband service. It’s fourth all-time behind three FIFA World Cup broadcasts.
Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Overnight ratings measure the country’s largest markets. Source: ESPN
Red Hat Stays in Raleigh
Red Hat will keep its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, N.C. and add more than 500 jobs in the next five years, officials said Monday. Red Hat (NYSE: RHT) plans to invest $109 million in its new headquarters, which will be between 300,000 and 400,000 square feet. Red Hat is the maker of Linux OS, in case you didn’t know. Source: WRAL.com
A Vegas Misadventure
A good friend and his wife have been stranded in Las Vegas for the last few days due to winter weather in the southeast. I suppose there are worse places to be stranded, although I hear he is almost of our underwear.
Strange Language
Why is Food pronounced “fuuuude” and Good pronounced “guh-de?” They are spelled the same.
iWant One
Verizon, the preferred carrier of NGC Communications, will offer the iPhone starting Feb. 10. Sign us up!
Facebook has selected Forest City in Rutherford County west of Charlotte for a new data center, according to reports on Thursday.
The social media network will invest some $450 million in the project, said Gov. Bev Perdue.
Between 35 and 45 jobs will be created, included contractors.
“After a rigorous review of sites across the East Coast, we are pleased to locate our new data center in Rutherford County,” said Tom Furlong, Director of Site Operations for Facebook.
North Carolina already is home to a major data center operated by Google in Lenoir, and Apple is building a similar center. IBM also built a major data center in the Research Triangle for its “cloud” computing service.
NGC Communications would like to take this opportunity to salute all active military personnel and every man and woman who has served our country throughout the years to guard our freedom. It is because of your sacrifice that we do what we do on a daily basis; and we are truly grateful. With heartfelt appreciate, we salute you. God Bless America!
NGC founder and owner Noah Garrett is a huge advocate of bettering STEM education in this country. He serves as editor of Local Tech Wire’s STEM News section and every Monday posts a feature story about STEM.
It is a sad week for the surfing world and a reality check for us dudes in our early-to mid-30s. Here’s the story in LA Times this morning and also check out the great piece constructed by long-time OBX writer extraordinaire Matt Walker on Surfline. Though I never met Andy personally, I have watch and followed his career over the years and he will be missed on the WCT and in the global surf community. RIP.
Legendary surfer Andy Irons has died at the age of 32.
Pete Thomas Outdoors is reporting that the three-time world champion passed away during a layover en route from Puerto Rico to his home in Hawaii, according to the surfer’s main sponsor, Billabong.
[Updated at 4:56 p.m.: The Irons family has released the following statement:
"The world of surfing mourns an incredibly sad loss today with the news that Hawaii's Andy Irons has died. Andy was a beloved husband, and a true champion.
"Irons, 32, withdrew from a professional surfing event in Puerto Rico last weekend due to illness, and passed away during a layover en-route to his home in Kauai, Hawaii. He had reportedly been battling with Dengue Fever, a viral disease.
"At this time the family thanks his friends and fans for their support, and asks that the community respect its privacy. The family also asks to not be contacted so their focus can remain on one another during this time of profound loss."]
Irons, who was raised on Kauai, became ill during the Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico, the ninth of 10 events on the 2010 ASP World Tour. He was apparently suffering from symptoms similar to those associated with dengue fever.
Irons is survived by his wife, Lyndie, who is pregnant with their first child, as well as his younger brother, Bruce, who is a former World Tour competitor.
South Carolina has a tight gubernatorial race between Vincent Shaheen (D) and Nicky Halley (R). Should be interesting as far the outcome. But, with that race getting much of the attention as well as the congressional race featuring Alvin Greene and Jeff Demint, I decided that I needed to educate myself on who was running, etc.
So, I found some sites, and I am sharing them with you.
Here is a link to a page with links to the candidate’s websites. I am still trying to find a page with a summary for each candidate, but I haven’t had much luck. There are links to candidate’s website off of this link below. http://www.sciway.net/gov/sc-election-2010-federal-offices.html
NGC Communications would like to take this opportunity to salute all active military personnel and every man and woman who has served our country throughout the years to guard our freedom. It is because of your sacrifice that we do what we do on a daily basis; and we are truly grateful. With heartfelt appreciate, we salute you. God Bless America!