Media Coverage

High-paying jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are plentiful, with millions going unfilled every year. In 2018, 2.4 million STEM jobs sat empty, with no qualified candidates available and few in the pipeline to backfill the deficit. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a less severe impact on people in STEM positions, with many able to transition to remote work with greater ease than those in non-STEM fields.

Shipping rates are already a sky-high in the wake of the pandemic — and a fresh rise could hit consumers in the pocket.

Russian ships banned from docking in Britain. Cargo containers piling up at European ports. Airfreight rerouted around Ukraine and Russia.

This past October, in Baltimore, high school students had to show proof that they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing, in order to play sports. While Baltimore has made that call, the story is different in other neighboring districts, like Cecil County and Allegany County, where public schools are not asking for vaccination status or doing surveillance testing of any kind. Like many states across the U.S. there are no longer unified COVID protocols. Decisions on vaccine and mask mandates, events, field trips, and even if parents are allowed in school buildings are left to the individual school districts to decide.

Supply chains continue to be the defining economic story in the U.S. Our most basic economic inputs — energy, semiconductors, and raw materials, e.g., lumber, metals, plastics — are still hitting snags. Meanwhile, as the previous issue of electroindustry covered, the country is poised to embark on a once-in-generation infrastructure buildout. Yes, it’s time to build. But for our supply chains, it’s time to rebuild and rethink.