Chapter 3: Science & Engineering Indicators 93
Federal S&E Employment
The Federal Government employed approximately 170,000 scientists and 115,000 engineers in 1991, making it the single largest employer of scientists and engineers in the United States (OPM 1985, 1991). (Click here for footnote 2.) (See appendix table 3-2.) Over one-fourth of the scientists and engineers employed by
the government are engaged in research and development; this segment of the federal S& E workforce is concentrated in laboratories run by the Departments of Defense (DOD), Agriculture, Health and Human
Services; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The other three-fourths of the federal S& E workforce are responsible for managing natural resources; data collection and
statistical analysis; development, implementation, and enforcement of government regulations; construction of public works projects; testing and evaluation; and administration of S& E activities (NRC 1993, p. 17).
The Department of Defense is the government's largest employer of both scientists and engineers, accounting for one out of every three federally employed scientists and two out of every three engineers. (See figure 3-4 and appendix table 3-2.) In general, the impact of defense downsizing on S& E employment (see "The Impact of Defense
Downsizing on Technical Employment") is not yet reflected in government employment statistics (just as it is not yet reflected in federal R& D expenditure data--see chapter 4). Between 1985
and 1991, DOD's employment of scientists and engineers increased 8 and 11 percent, respectively. During this period, however, there were cutbacks in several S& E fields, including mathematics and statistics and civil, industrial, and chemical
engineering.
Footnote 2:
These data were collected by the Office of Personnel Management. The numbers do not include scientists and engineers working at federally funded research and development centers, or those working at organizations (e.g., colleges and universities,
national laboratories, or industrial firms) that receive federal grants and contracts. For additional information on how these data were collected, see SRS (1989).
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