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OPA News Release: [07/31/2002]
Contact Name: Angela
Adams
Phone Number: (202) 693-6710
Women’s Bureau Publication Touts Benefits of High-Tech Employment
for Women
Washington, D.C. - Women’s Bureau Director Shinae Chun
released a fact sheet on women in high-tech jobs today, generated by the
projected increase in such jobs and the potential for new and profitable
employment opportunities for women.
Over the past decade, high-tech jobs have displayed continuous growth --
a trend that is expected to continue. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects
for the year 2006 that high technology employment will reach 21.5 million
workers. Computer engineers are projected to have the fastest growth among all
occupations – 664,000 new workers between 2000-2010. In addition to
creating new career opportunities, these jobs pay well, and are key to the
changing economy of the 21st Century. In 2001, the median weekly
earning for workers in technology-orientated occupations was between $713 and
$1,174, considerably more than the median for all other occupations ($597).
Chun believes that women looking for cutting-edge jobs that can help
them achieve financial security should consider high-tech careers. “Women
need to make fully educated decisions about their career choices,”
explained Chun. “High-tech jobs provide better pay as well as the
potential for more flexibility.” As part of its efforts to narrow the
skills gap, the Women’s Bureau has developed a program called GEM-SET
(Girls E-mentoring in Science, Engineering and Technology) that brings together
women in traditionally male-dominated high-tech fields to mentor young women
and spark their interest in SET occupations.
High–tech jobs are defined as scientific, technical, and
engineering occupations, such as: engineers; life and physical scientists;
mathematical specialists; engineering and science technicians; computer
specialists, engineering scientific, and computer managers. People who work in
these occupations need in-depth knowledge of theories and principles of
science, engineering, and mathematics, acquired through post secondary
specialized education ranging from an associate degree to doctorate.
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