America's "Advanced Industries"

February 4, 2015 9:08 AM

Some statistics and maps about jobs in "Advanced Industries", defined as industries that employ a higher percentage of STEM workers than the national average of all industries and R&D spending per worker above the 80th percentile of industries.
posted by wye naught (4 comments total)

In terms of the sector’s growth and change, the total number of jobs in the sector has remained mostly flat since 1980 but its output has soared.

Well then.
posted by Zalzidrax at 9:12 AM on February 4, 2015 [3 favorites]

I don't think it's anything nefarious, just a matter of technology. The aerospace industry used to require hundreds of drafters and engineers to do what a couple folks and a CAD package can do today. There's definitely a discussion to be had about the expectations of overtime and things like that (and we've had those discussions here, even quite recently) but I don't think that's the entire story.
posted by backseatpilot at 10:34 AM on February 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

In terms of the sector’s growth and change, the total number of jobs in the sector has remained mostly flat since 1980 but its output has soared.

I'm sure the salaries have kept pace.

Hello?
posted by blue_beetle at 11:03 AM on February 4, 2015

Over time, absolute earnings in advanced industries grew by 63 percent from 1975 to 2013, after adjusting for inflation. This compares with 17 percent gains outside the sector. Even workers with lower levels of education can earn salaries in advanced industries that far exceed their peers in other industries. In this regard, the sector is in fact accessible: More than half of the sector’s workers possess less than a bachelor’s degree.

Looks pretty encouraging to me.
posted by Triplanetary at 11:30 AM on February 4, 2015 [1 favorite]