Measuring the 21st Century Science and Engineering Workforce Population : Evolving Needs

The National Science Foundation's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), one of the nation's principal statistical agencies, is charged to collect, acquire, analyze, report, and disseminate statistical data related to the science and engineering enterprise in the United States and other nations that is relevant and useful to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and to the public. NCSES data, based primarily on several flagship surveys, have become the major evidence base for American science and technology policy, and the agency is well respected globally for these data. This report assesses and provides guidance on NCSES's approach to measuring the science and engineering workforce population in the United States. It also proposes a framework for measuring the science and engineering workforce in the next decade and beyond, with flexibility to examine emerging issues related to this unique population while at the same time allowing for stability in the estimation of key trendsTable of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction and Framework for the Future2 Background on the Surveys3 Evolving Data Needs4 Sample Design and Estimation Procedures5 Data Collection and Processing6 Data Analysis, Dissemination, and OutreachReferencesAppendix A Figures and Tables in the 2016 Science and Engineering Indicators Report That Use Data from the Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering, the Survey of Earned Doctorates, the National Survey of College Graduates, and the Survey of Doctorate RecipientsAppendix B Questionnaire Content Crosswalk National Survey of College Graduates, Survey of Doctorate Recipients, Survey of Earned Doctorates, and Early Career Doctorates SurveyAppendix C Workshop on Data Needs AgendaAppendix D Potential Uses of Unemployment Insurance Earnings Data to Enhance Longitudinal DataAppendix E Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff