Does the EU need more STEM graduates?: final report

Initially the study set out to define and break down what constitutes [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] STEM from a supply and demand perspective, in order to specify which fields of studies can be characterised as STEM fields of study at the tertiary level, and similarly to define STEM occupations and STEM labour markets. Business leaders, policy makers, researchers, and other stakeholders have diverse opinions about challenges regarding the supply and demand for tertiary STEM graduates now and in the medium-term future. Concerns about the sufficiency of current and medium-term future supply are linked to the importance paid to technological innovation as a critical enabler of growth following the economic crisis, and to the competitiveness of Europe in the medium term. Discussions do not merely concern the balance between supply and demand in quantitative terms, due to variations in the numbers studying in different fields within STEM and the fact that a large number of STEM graduates find employment in non-core STEM sectors. There are also concerns about mismatches of a more qualitative nature, for example driven by a growing [information and communication technology] ICT intensity in the economy, by technology convergence, and changes in the type of tasks involved in STEM professions, which are not always reflected in the design of higher education programmes.

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