U.S. workers see undeniable value in STEM education and skills

Seventy-two percent of Americans agree students today should focus on STEM career paths, according to Randstad US survey

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Randstad US

Jul 30, 2019, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, July 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Randstad US today released the U.S. data from the global quarterly Randstad Workmonitor survey for Q2 2019. According to the survey, if U.S. employees could go back in time to age 18, 68 percent say they would focus on a field of study within science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). This sentiment is indicative of the perceived high value of a STEM education and career path over other educational tracks. In fact, 60 percent believe their employer has trouble finding the right workers for these roles today.

"Employees understand the value of STEM talent today; they see their employers on the hunt for that talent and how in demand STEM skills are in the modern workforce," said Graig Paglieri, group president, Randstad Technologies and Engineering. "The survey findings don't necessarily mean people in non-STEM roles have career regret or think their jobs will be taken over by automation and robots. However, it's clear most people think having at least some formal STEM education continues to be valuable in today's job climate."

U.S. employees aren't nervous about digitalization, but more preparation is needed.

Seventy-nine percent feel equipped to deal with digitalization in their job.
Only 27 percent expect their job to be automated in the next five to 10 years, making Americans seemingly more optimistic than most of their global counterparts (across 33 countries, 35% of workers feel this way).
Sixty-two percent say their employers should invest more in developing digital skills.
Nearly half of employees (49%) say they are investing in themselves by learning about artificial intelligence (e.g., machine learning because their companies don't provide training).

U.S. employees acknowledge finding and recruiting the right talent is, and will continue to be, a hurdle for employers.

Nearly half (47%) say their employers have an increasing need for STEM talent.
Fifty-eight percent think it will be increasingly difficult for their employers to find the right talent in the future.

"Formal education aside, employers who proactively provide upskilling opportunities to their employees will be at a greater advantage long-term than those who do not — honing STEM talent from within can be a great way to close the skills gap many organizations feel right now," said Paglieri.

To learn more about the survey and its findings, please visit: randstad workmonitor insights: q2 2019.

Survey Methodology
The Randstad Workmonitor was launched in the Netherlands in 2003, and covers 34 countries around the world. The study encompasses Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. The Randstad Workmonitor is published four times a year, making both local and global trends in mobility visible over time. The Workmonitor's Mobility Index, which tracks employee confidence and captures the likelihood of an employee changing jobs within the next six months, provides a comprehensive understanding of sentiments and trends in the job market. Besides mobility, the survey addresses employee satisfaction and personal motivation as well as a rotating set of themed questions. The study is conducted online among employees aged 18-65, working a minimum of 24 hours a week in a paid job (not self-employed). The minimum sample size is 400 interviews per country. The second survey of 2019 was conducted from April 23 through May 9, 2019.

About Randstad
Randstad North America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Randstad N.V., a €23.8 billion global provider of flexible work and human resources services. As a trusted human partner in the technology-driven world of talent, we combine the expertise and passion of our employees, with some of the most innovative HR technologies on the market today, to advance the careers and business success of our candidates and clients.

Randstad's North American operations comprise 5,700+ associates and a deployed workforce of more than 100,000 in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to staffing and recruitment, Randstad offers outsourcing, consulting and workforce management solutions for generalist and specialist disciplines, including technology, engineering, finance and accounting, clinical and non-clinical healthcare, human resources, legal, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, office and administration, and sales and marketing. Global concepts available to North American client companies include RPO, MSP, integrated talent solutions, payrolling and independent contractor management and career transition services. Learn more at www.randstadusa.com or www.randstad.ca.

SOURCE Randstad US