Youth find STEM careers interesting but lack encouragement

Mumbai: As the world faces a skilled workforce gap, younger generations believe that STEM jobs (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) are important, however, they don't feel encouraged to pursue them, according to a survey. "Nearly 84 per cent respondents believe that STEM jobs are important to the country's future, while fewer Gen Z respondents said they felt encouraged to pursue a STEM-based career than millennial respondents, which make up the generation above them," according to the fifth annual STEM survey by Emerson.

US-headquartered Emerson is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial and residential markets. Atomik Research did the survey commissioned by Emerson commissioned online with 2,003 adults in India, half of whom were parents of school-aged children (5-18 years). The survey revealed that with technology accelerating many industries, the skilled workforce gap is growing and to keep up with the rapid pace of change, workers are increasingly looking to their employers to address these upskilling needs.

About 87 per cent of Indian respondents said they believe that companies should do more to train and prepare their STEM workforce, it added. "As automation and technology become truly ingrained in our workplaces and schools, there's a growing urgency to prepare the workforce with STEM skills that will be critical to the continued strength of the global economy," Emerson chairman and chief executive officer David N Farr said. Fewer than half of respondents believed their country is ahead in STEM education, the survey said. In addition, it added that half of the respondents said STEM careers in India continue to experience a gender gap, with women lagging behind. Empowering more qualified workers of both genders to explore a STEM career could have a significant impact on the workforce gap. Of the women who said they were not encouraged to pursue STEM careers in India, 41 per cent attributed this missed opportunity in the workforce to stereotypes that STEM careers are for men, and 44 per cent highlighted a lack of women role models in the field, it added.