The 4th Industrial Revolution has been changing the way we work, live, learn and relate to each other for close to a decade now. Fuelling the revolution are science, technology, engineering and maths skills. This week we take a look at employer demand for people with these skills.
But first, let’s start with where the jobs are
Over the past week, we’ve listed a number of job opportunities in the following sectors and locations across NSW. Around 45% are in three sectors: Construction, Government and Professional, Scientific & Technical.
Melinda Barton, our resident STEM job specialist (who also has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Industrial Microbiology), takes us into the employment laboratory where the convergence of old and new skills is creating a bit of steam.
Let’s start with some eye-opening data:
The number of STEM jobs are growing almost twice as fast than other jobs
At November 2019, around 2 million people were employed in STEM jobs
By 2024, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment projects that the number of STEM jobs will grow by 11.6% compared with 7.5% for all other jobs
“We’re definitely experiencing a growth in demand for these skills,” says Melinda.
“Particularly, in the areas of agribusiness, mining, manufacturing, health, energy and water services.
“Employers are looking for people who can help them leverage new technology, do things in a smarter, easier way and take their business into new markets.
“At the cutting edge are businesses, such as Australian Fresh Milk Holdings (Moxey Farms) which has just embarked on a joint venture that will bring revolutionary reproductive technologies to Australian cattle producers and veterinary professionals; and job opportunities for bovine reproductive specialists and lab technicians.
“There is also a vast amount of research and development happening at universities and science centres across NSW.
“So, you would think that having a STEM degree would be the ticket to easy employment.
“But it is not that simple.
“Unless we have the business skills to translate the research to market, much of it will remain ‘on the shelf’ as blue-sky research, not contributing to our economy’s bottom line.
“So, yes, employers are looking for STEM qualifications and associated skills such as cognitive flexibility, critical thinking and complex problem solving.
“But they also want those accompanied by an understanding of their business and strong communication, collaboration and customer-service skills.
“There is a high cost to employing someone who cannot communicate their ideas, who doesn’t work well with others and doesn’t understand customer needs or market levers.
“And there are nuances to STEM skills at a technical level. Geology versus geotechnical. Hydrology versus hydrography. Quality control versus quality assurance. Psychology versus psychiatry.
“Finally, there is the speed at which STEM fields are developing at the moment. Employers want recent skills, demonstrated skills. So it’s important that job applicants keep training and developing their knowledge and skills after they finish their degree.
“The bottom line for job applicants is: you must be able to connect your qualifications and skills to the industry and businesses you want to work in and make them directly relevant and meaningful to prospective employers.”
