From: NSF Workforce Statistics (pdf*) NSF SESTAT 1999 estimates (in 2002 report) workforce - 11 million science and engineering (including IT) + 193,200 unemployed + 1.86 million not in the workforce (?) (bridge people) 5 million have eng/sci degrees, but are not employed in eng/sci 67.3% - in related fields 32.7% - 1.6 million - (burger flippers) Foreign Scientists and Engineers on Temporary Work Visas Text table 3-25. October 1999 to February 2000 S&E-related occupations on approved H-1b petitions Percentage of total Occupation Number petitions Total ......................... 81,262 100.0 Computer related .............. 42,563 53.5 Engineering and architecture .. 10,385 13.1 Education ..................... 4,419 5.3 Medical ....................... 3,246 4.1 Social sciences ............... 1,963 2.5 Life sciences ................. 1,843 2.3 Mathematical and physical sciences ............. 1,453 1.8 Non–S&E-related occupations ................... 15,390 18.9 SOURCE: Immigration and Naturalization Service administrative data. Science & Engineering Indicators – 2002 (Note: This data, like all reports from INS, DOL, BLS, DOC, indicate "petitions", not "visas". The I-129 visa petition has Supplement-1 form for multiple visas on one petition. LCAs also certify multiple aliens on one application. LCA analysis shows an average of 4 aliens to 1 application. For IT occupations, the average is 8 aliens per application. Our assumption, confirmed at DOL in DC, is that visas have been issued at 4 times the numbers presented in official statistics (8 times for IT).)
OFFICIAL UNEMPLOYMENT: 5.6% White 5.1% Black 9.6% Hispanic 7.4% Men 20 years and over 5.2% Women 20 years and over 4.9% Teen-agers (16-19 years) 15.7% Black teens 27.7% Officially unemployed 8.1 million workers HIDDEN UNEMPLOYMENTWorking part-time because can't find a full-time job: 4.2 million
People who want jobs but are not counted in official statistics because not looking (of which more than 1 million searched for work during the prior 12 months and were available for work during the reference week.) 4.7 million
Total: 17.0 million (11.5% of the labor force)In addition, millions more were working full-time, year-round, yet earned less than the official poverty level for a family of four. In the latest year for which data are available, 2000, that number was 16.9 million, 16.8 percent of full-time workers (estimated from Money Income in the United States, Bureau of the Census, Sept. 2001). Roughly one in four women and one in seven men who had full-time jobs the year round earned less than the poverty level for a family of four.
