Engineer talent is currently both in high demand as well as short supply. Average engineering jobs now pay salaries close to six figures. I therefore suggest to President Trump and all presidential candidates – direct your focus to viable plans to recruit more engineers into the U.S. economy. Along with this include significantly improving engineering education.
Labor Department Jobs Figures Strong
The latest U.S. Labor Department job figures showed 164,000 new jobs created this past month. This sets another record with the 106th straight month of jobs creation.
Included in the current jobs figures were: a) U6 (the broadest measure of unemployment) dropped .2% to 7% b) the overall labor participation rate increased .1% to 63% and c) employment population ratio increased .1% to 60.7%. These are all signs of a strong labor market.
However, many more high wage jobs are needed even in light of these statistics. Increasing the supply of engineers can be a major solution.
Engineering Jobs Provide Higher U.S. Salaries and More Technology
More and better-trained engineers are required to meet the constant media and political calls for the Green New Deal, space exploration, driverless cars, artificial intelligence and robotics. All these lofty technological goals require the ingenuity of talented engineers to develop and improve such future technology marvels.
Many good engineering schools already exist. The top ten engineering schools in the U.S. are already among the best in the world. Unfortunately, most students are foreign nationals who often leave the U.S. to bring their engineering talents back to their native lands. More American engineers need to be attracted into and trained by the engineering fields.
Engineering Talent Requires Better STEM Programs
Current Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education programs are woefully inadequate. They have slipped in recent decades. They thus fail to attract significant numbers of American engineers, scientists and technical talent needed for our economy.
A greater effort needs to be undertaken to: a) formulate more effective STEM educational programs b) recruit better STEM teachers and c) provide incentives to retain the brightest STEM educators and help them to flourish.
More students will be encouraged to join the engineering field if STEM education improves significantly. As a result, higher wages and better technology benefits will accrue to the U.S. economy.
Our Engineering Recruiting Team Can Help
Strategic Search Corporation can help with recruiting engineering talent for your staffing needs. Our vast experience helps us uncover the best engineer candidates. We also ensure they are well prepared for your interviews. As a result, candidates will be able to more quickly share relevant job information you best need to evaluate them and lead to your company’s ultimate success.
Call me today at 312-944-4000 to discuss how we can assist with your engineering recruiting and staffing needs. Or click here for my full contact information.
