Whether or not there is a glut of top-level scientists, there is a critical shortage of people with the STEM-and-Computing-based skills that are required for even basic entry-level jobs in the not too distant future. In fact, the Labor Department has said that 3.6 million jobs are going unfilled right now precisely because of the paucity of just those skills—coding, computational design, computer programming, networked learning and team work. These skills, by the way, are not just technical; as the underlying “language” of online video and videogames, they have become the means of learning anything and creative expression for today’s generation, young and old—in effect, it is the new literacy. Moreover, the best way to obtain that “full and rounded general education, which will teach them to think and evaluate new information” that Ravitch describes as the ideal, nothing “works” better than learning how to code alone and with a team; it teaches the new reading and writing, mathematics, critical analysis, problem-solving, digital collaboration and teamwork that increasingly define the workplace—certainly the academic and professional workplace today’s students will need to prepare for.

Too Many Science Majors? Many news reports and commentators make the statement that we have too many science majors in the U.S. and offer as evidence the statement that “only one in three with degrees in science are really working in science-related job” [Is American Science in Decline? Xie, Yu, and Alexandra A. Killewald, Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 2012]. It turns out that the actual number employed in science field is between 50 and 67 %. The error occurs by including social science majors and this group represents approximately 50% of the total comparison body. Contributing to the illusion is a variation in the total body of science or STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) field due to variation in the college attendance rate. For example, in 1997 there was a twenty percent decline in numbers in college compared to 1980. That decrease would tend to increase the demand for scientists in the market around 1998-2003, since there were a smaller number of total graduates available. This decline then reversed in the period from 1997 to 2010, increasing by 19.5%. This might be reflected in the larger number of science majors with degrees available in the market currently.
A greater factor in more scientist and science-related majors unemployed now relates to economic factors. The Great Recession (2008) caused many companies to either layoff or not make new hires in the science area. Example of this is the pharmaceutical industry that has made major retrenchment in recent times. Over the past four years, most large pharmas have made a very deliberate decision to reduce the scientific workforce or remove most in the research area of their companies, including Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, and others. Statements were made by the drug companies to the effect that they were partnering with universities, with the expectation that the latter would be doing a majority of the basic and fundamental research. The pharmas would and do grant to principal investigators and departments hefty sums. The drug companies would then maintain their development departments for the exploration of pre-clinical and clinical trails and associated explorations. The number of research scientists let go has been in the tens of thousands. With decline in support of research at the state universities due to budget cuts, these former pharmaceutical scientists would have had little opportunity to secure jobs in academe.
The drug industry example above is but one in the post-Great Recession era. The fear and lack of positive foresight for future development in other industries has affected the labor pool of scientists, like the end of the major portion of the NASA program where thousands of engineers were let go. It is unfortunate that this negative outlook pervades the labor market for everyone. That pertaining to science and engineering is even more detrimental since IF the U. S. is to pull out of this decline/recession, we will have to do so in industries that are highly technical and innovative. That will require a labor force of the STEM variety. Yes, icing-on-the-cake would be if these science-math-engineering majors also have a strong background in the liberal arts.

I think the problem is technology industries want low experience low salary technology employees. The largest or close to largest technology firms in the Dallas area pushed out most of their over 50 employees around Christmas time, and simultaneously wrote editorials for more technology people. They did not want to give the older people raises.

I think this is the reason for the conflicting stories.