Originally Posted by Bostonian
Originally Posted by Dude
Another point to consider: the alternative to encouraging more participation in STEM by American women is to import male talent from places like China, India, and Brazil.

I want to change the topic from women in STEM to STEM in general. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine. What evidence is there for a shortage of college graduates with science degrees? Looking at the data in

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/the-college-majors-that-do-best-in-the-job-market/
The College Majors That Do Best in the Job Market
By CATHERINE RAMPELL
New York Times
May 19, 2011

"physical science" majors had middling job placement and low average salaries -- $21K for jobs that require a B.A. or B.S.
Maybe this number is depressed by science majors earning low salaries as graduate students / teaching assistants. The numbers look better for the other parts of "TEM".

Looking at compensation vs. required effort and ability, physical science majors don't look good. If someone wants to study physics or chemistry because he or she is fascinated by the subject, fine, but such students should not be misled about their career prospects by talk of a general "STEM" shortage.

http://press.manpower.com/press/201...ind-the-right-talent-for-open-positions/

Looking at the ten hardest to fill positions, you have the E in STEM at number 3, and the T at number 6. It's also worth pointing out the non-degree positions at 1 and 10 are generally considered boy jobs and are much more science-based today than your grandfather's factory job was (well, 10 is still the same, but it's also still machining).

STEM workers are typically imported via the H1B visa program, which is capped at 85,000 visas a year (with certain employers exempt from the cap). Here's a listing of job fields for H1B visa holders: http://www.h1base.com/content/h1boccupations