STEM occupations continue to grow, despite the labour market shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, between February 2015 and February 2020, employment in STEM occupations grew by 17.7%. This is 1.5 times faster than the growth rate in non-STEM jobs.

During the height of COVID-19, when economic activity was restricted from February to May 2020, employment in STEM occupations fell by just 1.9%. This is less than a third of the 7.0% decrease experienced in employment in non-STEM occupations.

Looking forward, analysis suggests that this trend may continue.

National Skills Commissioner Adam Boyton said, “the growth of STEM related skills is likely to provide a solid foundation for a successful career, with STEM occupations now sitting at 99.8% of their pre-COVID-19 levels”.

“The resilience of STEM occupations and the importance of these skills to the economy means there are likely to be better employment prospects in the short- to medium-term as we recover from the impacts of COVID-19,” Mr Boyton said.

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, NSC analysis projected that, over the five years to May 2024, employment in STEM occupations would grow by 11.7% (or 301,500 people). This is compared with all other jobs that were projected to grow by 7.6% (or 761,700 people) over the same period.

Now that we have entered a post-COVID-19 recovery stage, the NSC has undertaken new analysis on occupational resilience. This new analysis has compared data on employment growth expectations before COVID-19, with data relating to the employment experience of occupations during COVID-19, and early indications of recovery to measure resilience and recovery.

The 92 STEM occupations have a higher skill level relative to all other jobs and 46.5% were considered to be resilient; compared with 31.8% of employment in non-STEM occupations.