Science Resources Studies Division

DATA BRIEF Directorate for

Social, Behavioral

and Economic

Sciences

National Science Foundation

During the 1989-93

period the number of

scientists employed

by the Federal

Government

increased by 13.2

percent, while the

number of engineers

decreased by

0.5 percent.

by John

Tsapogas

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Based on data provided to the NationalScience Foundation by the Office of

Personnel Management, employment of

Federal scientists and engineers increased by

6 percent from 1989 to 1993. Civilian white

collar employment in the Federal Government during the same time increased 1.2

percent, and the U.S. labor force grew 3.1

percent. The total number of Federal

civilian white collar employees was

1,797,289 in 1993. Federal scientists and

engineers totaled 196,908, or 10.9 percent of

the Federal civilian white collar workforce

(chart 1).

Federal Science and Engineering Jobs

Increased Over the Last 5 Years

SOURCE: Compiled by NSF/SRS staff using data

from the Office of Personnel Management

Agency Variation

Employment changes for scientists and

engineers varied significantly by agency.

Although some agencies—the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA, the Department

of Interior, and the Department of Health

and Human Services—increased their

employment of scientists and engineers,

employment of such workers at the Department of Defense (DoD), the largest Federal

employer of scientists and engineers, decreased by 2.2 percent. DoD was the only

major Federal agency to experience a decrease. Within DoD science and engineering

(S&E) employment decreased in the Army by

4.7 percent, in the Navy by 3.6 percent, and in

the Air Force by 1.3 percent.

Occupational Variation

Within the overall increase of 6 percent,

employment of Federal engineers declined by

0.5 percent from 1989 to 1993. The greatest

decrease, 25 percent, was experienced by

industrial engineers. Some engineering

occupational groups countered the overall

trend and posted gains in Federal employment

during the 1989-93 period. These groups

included electrical, electronics, and computer

engineers; biomedical engineers; environmental engineers; ceramic engineers; nuclear

engineers; and general engineers. Federal

scientists increased by 13.2 percent during the

1989-93 period. All of the major scientific

occupations experienced modest increases in

Federal employment during 1989-93 (chart 2).

Variation in Regional Growth

The Mountain States experienced the largest

growth of Federal S&E employment over the

last 5 years. This region, which includes all

of the States along the Rocky Mountains from

New Mexico and Arizona to Idaho and

Montana, increased its employment of Federal

scientists and engineers by 12.7 percent. The

South Atlantic States have traditionally

accounted for more than one-third of all

Chart 1. Federal civilian white collar employment, by selected workforce categories: 1993

Scientists

n = 101,348

All other

white collar

employment

n = 1,600,381

Engineers

n = 95,560

Vol. 1995, No. 4 (revised), April 14, 1995
0 0

5 5

10 10

15 15

12.7

8.4

7.3

6.4 6.0

4.9 4.5

3.8

0.9

-5 -5

0 0

5 5

10 10

15 15

6

13.2

-0.5

2.3

1.2

3.1

Federal Science and Engineering Jobs Increased Over the Last 5 Yearspage 2

SRS DATA BRIEF

Federal

civilian

white collar

employment

Federal

engineers

Federal

scientists

SOURCE: Compiled by NSF/SRS staff using data from the Office of Personnel

Management

Federal S&E employment, and this has held

true over the last 5 years. The region, which

includes Delaware, Maryland, the District of

Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North

and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida,

increased its Federal S&E employment by

8.4 percent, thereby increasing its share from

Federal

R&D S&Es

U.S. labor

force

35 percent in 1989 to 36 percent in 1993. In

fact, the South Atlantic States accounted for

almost 50 percent of the net increase in the

number of Federal scientists and engineers

during 1989-93. All other regions showed very

modest increases (chart 3).

Federal

scientists

and

engineers

Mountain South

Atlantic

West

South

Central

West

North

Central

New

England

Pacific East

North

Central

Middle

Atlantic

East

South

Central

SOURCE: Compiled by NSF/SRS staff using data from the Office of Personnel Management

Chart 2. Percentage change in U.S. and Federal employment, by selected

workforce category: 1989-93

Chart 3. Percentage change in employment of Federal scientists and engineers,

by geographic region: 1989-93

Percentage change

Percentage change

6.0

Vol. 1995, No. 4 (revised), April 14, 1995
-10 -10

-5 -5

0 0

5 5

10 10

15 15

20 20

-5.3

8.7

10.8

15.6

The growth of women and minorities in

Federal S&E jobs outpaced the rise of

women and minorities in the Federal

civilian white collar workforce.

During the 1989-93 period the number of

men in S&E jobs increased by 2 percent

and the number of whites increased by 4.1

percent. However, the 5-year growth for

women in Federal S&E jobs was 27.6

percent. For blacks the number was 15.1

percent; for Hispanics the growth rate was

16.6 percent; for Asians, 20.9 percent; and

for Native Americans, 34.4 percent.

Women increased their share of Federal

S&E employment from 15.7 percent in

1989 to 19 percent in 1993. Collectively,

the minorities’ share of the Federal S&E

workforce increased from 14 percent in

1989 to 16 percent in 1993 (chart 5).

Federal Science and Engineering Jobs Increased Over the Last 5 Yearspage 3

SRS DATA BRIEF

The Aging of the Federal Workforce

The Federal S&E workforce has been getting

older. In 1989, 51 percent of Federal scientists

and engineers were 40 years of age or older. By

1993 the share of Federal S&E employees in

this age group had increased to 54 percent. The

share of Federal scientists and engineers 50

years of age or older also increased, from 22

percent to 24 percent during the same period

(chart 4). This trend is in part caused by the

decrease in the number of new entrants into the

Federal S&E workforce.

The Growth of Women and Minorities

Although the number of women or minorities in

the Federal S&E workforce is low compared

with the number of men or whites, employment

growth for women or minorities in S&E jobs

was much faster than that for men or whites.

The data presented

in this Data Brief are

being released in

advance of the

Special Report,

Federal Scientists

and Engineers:

1989-93.

Under 35 years

of age

Percentage change

35-39 years of

age

50 years of age

or older

40-49 years of

age

Chart 4. Percentage change in employment of Federal scientists and engineers,

by age group: 1989-93

SOURCE: Compiled by NSF/SRS staff using data from the Office of Personnel

Management

Vol. 1995, No. 4 (revised), April 14, 1995
0 0

10 10

20 20

30 30

40 40

4.1

15.1

16.6

20.9

34.4

2.0

27.6

NSF 95-305 (revised)

SRS DATA BRIEF Vol. 1995, No. 4 (revised), April 14, 1995

Federal Science and Engineering Jobs Increased Over the Last 5 Yearspage 4

Asians

SOURCE: Compiled by NSF/SRS staff using data from the Office of Personnel Management

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 John

Tsapogas, National Science Foundation,

Division of Science Resources Studies, 4201

Wilson Boulevard, Suite 965, Arlington, VA

Chart 5. Percentage change in employment of Federal scientists and

engineers, by race/ethnicity and sex: 1989-93

Native

Americans

Whites Males Females Blacks Hispanics