Jobs in science, tech, engineering and maths (STEM) are expected to grow at double the rate of other occupations, creating 142,000 jobs between now and 2023, according to new research.
The study, from RS Components, offers the latest breakdown of STEM graduates in the UK.
The growth in STEM jobs means it’s more important than ever for the nation’s education system to focus on STEM.
It’s widely thought that these careers are male dominated, but the latest figures show that more women are working in STEM than ever before.
Key findings:
- In total, women made up over half (51.4%) of graduates who gained a STEM degree in 2016/17.
- The most popular STEM degree subjects are allied to medicine. In total there were 84,895 people who graduated in this area, with careers in medicine, dentistry, nursing and other allied fields.
- The least popular STEM subject was veterinary science, with just 1,430 people graduating in this subject in 2016/17.
- Three quarters of those who gained a degree in veterinary science were women.
- The most popular degree subject for men was computer sciences, making up 81% of the total number of graduates in that subject area.
- The least popular degree subject for men were subjects allied to medicine, making up just 21% of all graduates.
- The most popular degree subject for women were subjects allied to medicine, making up 79% of graduates.
- The least popular degree subjects for women were both computer science and engineering, with just 19% of women making up each course.
