Labor Trends & Workforce Studies
ORAU data analysts study employment trends and report on America's scientific workforce
Careful data analysis helps us identify long-term labor trends. This analysis can help us determine, for example, whether the people who participated in your internship program continued to work in scientific or technical fields five or 10 years after their participation ends.
Our workforce specialists analyze many factors influencing labor trends including: employment rates and forecasts, participation of women and other minority groups, stay rates attributed to foreign-born participants, competitive salary ranges and rate of degree production.
Our efforts to evaluate and constantly improve the effectiveness of our work results in participants who are more likely to:
- Pursue higher level degrees
- Complete graduate degrees in specialty fields of interest to sponsors
- Pursue research careers in areas of interest to sponsors
- Accept employment positions at federal research centers
- Refer others to programs administered by ORAU
- Emphasize active, inquiry-based learning in their teaching
Tracking enrollments and degrees in health physics and nuclear engineering
Through its contract to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), ORAU researchers have collected and/or monitored data on enrollments and degrees in science and energy-related fields of study for DOE and other federal agencies since the early 1970s. The information gathered serves as a basis for addressing trends that may impact the missions of both government agencies and private industry partners alike.
Our Expert
Don Johnson, Ph.D.
Expertise: Economics of specialized labor markets, regional economic growth and development
- Author: “Nuclear Engineering Enrollments & Degrees Survey, 2017-18 Data.” Number 80, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, April 2019.
- Author: “Health Physics Enrollments & Degrees Survey, 2017-18 Data.” Number 81, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, April 2019.
- Author: “Health Physics Enrollments & Degrees Survey Data 50-Year Trend Assessment, 1966-2015.” Oak Ridge Associated Universities, March 2017.
- Author: “Nuclear Engineering Enrollments & Degrees Survey Data 50-Year Trend Assessment, 1966-2015.” Oak Ridge Associated Universities, March 2017.
Contact us
If you have questions about ORAU's Workforce Solutions capabilities, contact 865.576.3424 or science.education@orau.org.