A new report from Excelencia in Education makes one thing clear: Latino talent is vital to our workforce — particularly in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), where innovation and creativity converge to drive economic growth. The report, Finding Your Workforce: Linking College Completion with U.S. Workforce Needs in STEAM, released March 17, examines where Latino students are earning STEAM credentials, where gaps persist, and what institutions and employers can do about it.
The data paints a picture of meaningful presence paired with significant inequity. In 2023, Latinos represented 31 percent of all STEAM degree recipients. But the researchers found that representation is concentrated at the lower credential levels and drops sharply as degree levels increase. While Latino students represented more than one-quarter of certificate (26%) and associate degree (28%) recipients, representation drops at the bachelor's degree level (16%) and continues to decline at the master's (8%) and doctoral (5%) levels.
That pipeline gap has real workforce consequences. According to the report’s authors, Latinos are projected to represent 91 percent of new U.S. workers by 2031 and one in five workers nationwide, yet they remain only 15 percent of the STEM workforce, despite making up 18 percent of all workers. Meanwhile, STEM occupations are projected to grow 8 percent between now and 2034 — more than double the rate of other fields — with median annual wages for STEM occupations more than double those of non-STEM roles ($103,580 vs. $48,000).
To close the representation gap, the authors offered a "roadmap" for both higher education administrators and corporate recruiters. The framework emphasizes three primary pillars:
Collaborative Credentialing: Excelencia calls for "stackable credentials" created with industry partners. This mirrors our previous reporting on the essential role of Latinos in the engineering workforce, which highlighted the need for better career planning and financial literacy.
The "Last Mile" Support System: Transition services, including financial and mental health resources, are critical. These "wraparound" services have been identified by EDU Ledger contributors as the moral obligation of HSIs to ensure upward economic mobility.
Active Pipeline Leveraging: Employers must move beyond passive recruitment and leverage existing partnerships with top-producing institutions.
