Study: More engineering jobs than emerging workforce can fill

There aren’t enough workers entering the workforce, so reports a study.

A year-long legislative-funded study’s findings were presented to the Idaho State Board of Education on Oct. 19, showing a “significant gap” between the amount of the state’s graduates from public and private higher education schools and the existing and forecasted workforce demands.

The study, produced by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, revealed from an employer survey that in 2023 there were 1,953 engineering-related job openings in Idaho and 1,289 graduates from public and private schools.

The study also found: “Math performance is strongly linked to success in engineering fields; fewer females enter engineering-related fields compared to males; only about 60% of engineering graduates stay and work in Idaho, while about 73% of computer science graduates stay and work in Idaho; and employers unable to find qualified employees in Idaho are more likely to locate their businesses elsewhere.”

Staff members were directed by the board to start work on developing an action plan to address the gap to be discussed at a future meeting.

Along with the Board of Education, the study was given to industry leaders whose sectors comprised the core advisory team, to the governor’s office, the Industry Advisory Boards for the Colleges of Engineering and Idaho’s public universities, Idaho National Laboratory’s workforce development lead, STEM-related and other organizations.

Many tech companies and K-12 institutions are collaborating to address the needs for workforce development, and Gov. Brad Little’s administration recently unveiled the LAUNCH grant program for high school students graduating in 2024 to help close the gap.