Skills & Training

Source: 2017 ACS 1 year estimate

VT wages are relatively higher for “Middle Skill” workers, compared with US averages, whereas wages for college educated workers earn slightly below. Middle skill workers have formal or informal professional training, two year degrees or other certifications, but not necessarily a Bachelor’s or advanced degree. Vermont’s edge among people with high school degrees or below may reflect the state’s higher entry-level wages due to workforce scarcity, and the state’s minimum wage.

Source: BLS and Occupational Information Network, and National Science Foundation

It can be difficult to track growth in STEM jobs because different initiatives employ different definitions. This data set shows the Occupational Information Network STEM data alongside a more limited definition deployed by the National Science Foundation. The broader ONET group has grown more in Vermont than the NSF grouping. But the NSF grouping has grown stayed mostly on trend with the nation, going from 3.9% to 4.4% of all Vermont jobs from 2003-2014 while during the same time period the national share of STEM jobs went from 3.9% to 4.9%.

Source: National Science Foundation

Growth in STEM Occupations over the last decade has been greatest in computer sciences. But given the aging Vermont workforce, even fields where there have been limited gains or a slight decline in number of jobs, Vermont will require large numbers of highly skilled and trained workers to fill openings in the coming decades.