-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

-14 -12 -10 -9 -7 -5 -3 -1 1 2 4 6 8

-3.78

-6.99

-8.04

-12.9

6.65

-5.96

-5.32

-8.21

-6.23

Industrial machinery

Electronics

Instruments

Total, 5 industries

Total mfg

Total emplmt, 5 industries

Total emplmt, mfg

Total mfg

Total emplmt, mfg

Chemicals

Transport

Employment of R&D

scientists, engineers,

and technicians

exhibits greater

volatility than

employment of their

non-R&D

counterparts.

Science Resources Studies Division

DATA BRIEF Directorate for

Social, Behavioral

and Economic

Sciences

National Science Foundation

 by Richard E.

Morrison

Vol. 1994, No. 8, Oct. 28, 1994

S&E Manufacturing Jobs Down: Changes

Vary Greatly by Industry and Occupation

A

lthough overall employment of scientists

 and engineers (S&Es) in manufacturing

industries fell 2.4 percent from 1989 to

1992, employment changes varied significantly by industry and by occupational

classification. While the chemicals and

allied products industries managed to

weather the stormy economic climate, other

manufacturing industries were hit hard by

the effects of defense-related downsizing

and uncertain economic expectations.

Based on data from the Bureau of Labor

Statistics Occupational Employment

Statistics (OES) survey, four of the five

industries that dominate the technical labor

market of the manufacturing sector (see box,

p. 2) experienced marked reductions in

employment of scientists, engineers, and

technicians (SETs) from 1989 to 1992.

These reductions ranged from a 12.9-percent

reduction in industrial machinery and

equipment to a 3.8-percent falloff in

transportation equipment. (See chart 1.)

Occupational Variation

Overall changes in employment of SETs mask

variations in employment effects on the

occupational classifications “scientist,”

“engineer,” and “technician” and between

those SETs engaged in production and those

engaged in research and development (R&D).

Although total employment of SETs in

chemicals and allied products rose 6.7 percent

as noted above, employment of R&D SETs in

chemicals and allied products actually

declined—by 13.1 percent. Hardest hit were

R&D engineers, who suffered a 25.7-percent

drop in employment in chemicals and allied

products industries from 1989 to 1992.

Employment of R&D engineers similarly

fell—by 19.6 percent in electronic and

electrical equipment and by 14.2 percent in

transportation equipment. Conversely,

employment of R&D engineers increased 22.6

percent in industrial machinery and equipment

and 51.2 percent in instruments and related

products. (See chart 2.)

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“STIS flyer.” To get a paper

copy of the flyer, call the NSF

Publications Section at 703-306-

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send an e-mail message to

stisfly@nsf.gov (Internet). For

NSF’s Telephonic Device for the

Deaf capability, dial 703-306-

0090.

Chemicals and allied products—buoyed by a

whopping 34.4-percent increase in

employment of SETs in pharmaceuticals—

bucked the industry trend, increasing 6.7

percent.

Chart 1. Scientists, engineers, and technicians

(SETs) employed in manufacturing industries:

percentage change 1989-92

Percentage change

Industrial

machinery

Transportation

Electrical equipment

equipment Chemicals

All mfg.

Instruments

Chart 2. Changing employment of R&D

engineers, by industry group: 1989-92
Chemicals Industrial machinery

Electronics Instruments

Transportation equipment Other manufacturing

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Of the 20 major industry groups that the

manufacturing sector comprises, the

five dominant industries—industrial

machinery and equipment, electronic

and other electrical equipment, instruments and related products, transportation equipment, and chemicals and

Scientists Engineers

allied products—accounted for the

following in 1992: 81 percent of SETs; 86

percent of R&D SETs, 85 percent of

engineers, 90 percent of engineers in

manufacturing R&D, and 88 percent of

scientists in manufacturing R&D. (See

chart 3.)

Technicians

Employment of R&D technicians fell

18.9 percent in chemicals and allied

products, but R&D scientists fared

somewhat better—their employment

dropped by only 4 percent. The data

suggest that R&D employment in the

chemicals and allied products

industries may be highly leveraged to

the business cycle, given that

employment of SETs not engaged in

R&D increased by 19.1 percent, 12.8

percent, and 10.3 percent respectively.

Growth Industries

Certain manufacturing industries not

only countered the generally downward trend in employment of SETs,

but actually flourished. In addition to

the increase in SET employment

described above in chemicals and

allied products, increases in SET

employment in other manufacturing

industries ranged from 1.2 percent in

rubber and miscellaneous plastics

products to 8.1 percent in petroleum

and coal products. Offsetting these

gains were sizable decreases in

fabricated metal products (10.1

percent), textile mill products (6.7

percent), and food and kindred products (6.6 percent).

The data presented in this Data Brief

are being released in advance of the

comprehensive Detailed Statistical

Tables report Scientists, Engineers,

and Technicians in Manufacturing

Industries: 1992.

Wilson Boulevard, Suite 965, Arlington,

VA 22230. For a free copy, write to the

above address, call 703-306-1773, or

send e-mail to srspubs@nsf.gov.

This Data Brief was prepared by

Richard E. Morrison, Senior Economist,

National Science Foundation, Division

of Science Resources Studies, 4201

Chart 3. Concentration of scientists, engineers, and

technicians within five manufacturing industries