

STEM jobs fill up faster in Tampa Bay than national average, report says


There are more positions requiring skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, then there are people with the skills to fill those positions, a new Brookings report indicates. But Tampa Bay seems to fill those positions faster.

The report by the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings found that, nationally, STEM job openings are advertised for more than twice as long as all other types of jobs.

In Tampa Bay, the time lapse is less dramatic.

In the Lakeland-Winter Haven area, the average duration for a non-STEM job ad was 33 days, versus 36 days for STEM-related jobs.

In the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area, the average duration for a non-STEM job ad was 37 days, versus 52 days for STEM-related jobs.

In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, the average duration of a non-STEM job ad was 34 days, versus 38 for STEM-related jobs.

In both the Tampa and Lakeland metros, health care practitioners and technical occupations were the top posted ads in the STEM-related fields. The Tampa metro posts an average value of skills of $56,768 for those positions, while the Lakeland metro posts an average of $55,941.

For more, read the Brookings report here.
