A systematic literature review identifying inconsistencies in the inclusion of subjects in research reports on STEM workforce skills in the UK

Figures & data

Table 1. Search strategy

Research question	Keywords	Search string
How do different research reports, policy documents, and journal articles define STEM in the UK?	- STEM - UK - Define	(“STEM” OR “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics”) AND (“skills” OR “workforce” OR “work force”) AND (“definition” OR “defining” OR define) AND “UK” AND (“research report” OR “study” OR “article”)

Figure 1. Papers screened for the review.

Table 2. Final list of papers shortlisted after screening for data extraction

Study ID	Title	Country of study	Definition of STEM
Jebsen (2022)	“It’s a whole load of not giving up”: individual and organisational factors that contribute to UK based women achieving professor status in STEM	UK	STEM = HESA JACS codes by subject areas Medicine and Dentistry, Subjects allied to medicine, Biology, Veterinary, Agriculture and related subjects, Physics, Maths, Computer science, Engineering and Technology.
Vecchia et al. (2023)	Vertical and horizontal mismatch in the UK: are graduates’ skills a good fit for their jobs?	UK	STEM = medicine, maths, computer science, biology, engineering, technology architecture, agriculture, environment related, Physics
Archer et al. (2012)	Science aspirations, capital, and family habitus: How families shape children’s engagement and identification with science	Other: UK	STEM subjects included in the study were not defined. Just the term ‘STEM’ is used throughout
Smith (2017)	Shortage or surplus? A long‐term perspective on the supply of scientists and engineers in the USA and the UK	UK	STEM = Biology, chemistry, physics, maths and engineering
Scott (2019)	Gender differences in occupational preferences among young people: evidence from the UK	UK	STEM = three groups STEM traditional (ISCO definition of STEM: “STEM skills expected to be held by people with a tertiary-education level degree in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths” (European Commission, 2017), STEM strict (Only maths-intensive occupations, or ‘hard’ sciences, including physical sciences, technology, engineering and maths, and excluding ‘softer’ sciences i.e. less maths-intensive sciences, like biology and chemistry (Gabay-Egozi et al., 2015; Jerrim & Schoon, 2014; Lauermann et al., 2015; Mann & DiPrete, 2013). Lauermann et al. (2015) use information about the required level of knowledge of mathematics and English for each occupation to create their definition of maths-intensive occupations. This includes occupations like architects, engineers, mathematicians and economists.) and STEM wide (all occupations that requiring some scientific or technical training, not necessarily at degree-level. Bagnoli et al. (2014) suggest two definitions; a wide STEM skills definition, including healthcare occupations, building and construction trades, and midwifery).
Holmes (2022)	STEM skills, technical education and career progression in the uk	UK	STEM = only focusses on technical education and progression
Hoyles et al. (2011)	Supporting STEM in schools and colleges in England: the role of research: a report for Universities UK	UK	STEM abbreviation used throughout not defined which subjects are included
Grinis and Grinis (2019)	The STEM requirements of “Non-STEM” jobs: Evidence from UK online vacancy postings	UK	STEM = Biology, biomedical sciences, physics, chemistry, computer science, technology, engineering, maths, statistics
Tripney et al. (2010)	Factors influencing young people (aged 14–19) in education about STEM subject choices: a systematic review of the UK literature	UK	STEM = Maths, Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, technology, engineering
Docherty and Fernandez (2014)	Career Portfolios and the Labour Market for Graduates and Postgraduates in the UK	UK	Graduate and post graduate focus. The criteria for choosing what occupations and percentage of the total employment of STEM graduates. 1). Density - The proportion of STEM degree holders within that sector or occupation; and 2). Proportion - How large employment of STEM in that occupation or sector is as a
Patrick and Smith (2022)	From subject choice to career path: Female STEM graduates in the UK labour market	UK	UKCES (2015) definition of STEM
Smith and White (2019)	Where do all the STEM graduates go? Higher education, the labour market and career trajectories in the UK	UK	STEM = adopted the classification used by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) which uses the criteria of whether an occupation has a highproportion of graduates, a high proportion of STEM-degree holders and a high proportion of STEM-degree holders among graduate entrants.
Zhu et al. (2023)	Genetic basis of STEM occupational choice and regional economic performance: a UK biobank genome-wide association study	UK	Chemistry and related, Biology, Medicine and related, Agriculture, Physics, Geology, Maths, Engineering, Water, Sanitation, Drainage and Public Health
Smith (2011)	Women into science and engineering? Gendered participation in higher education STEM subjects	UK	STEM = UCAS grouping Medicine and dentistry (medical sciences), subjects allied to medicine (allied medical sciences): including nursing and pharmacy, Biological sciences: including biology, microbiology, biochemistry, psychology, sports science and combinations thereof. Veterinary sciences, agriculture and related (agricultural sciences). Physical sciences (physical sciences): including chemistry, physics, physical geography and environmental and forensic science and combinations. Mathematical and computational sciences (mathematical sciences), Engineering and group J technologies (engineering sciences), Architecture, building and planning (architectural sciences), Sciences combined with social sciences or arts (combined sciences and other), Combined sciences (combined sciences)
d’Aguiar and Harrison (2016)	Returning from earning: UK graduates returning to postgraduate study, with particular respect to STEM subjects, gender and ethnicity	UK	The definition of STEM subjects used here is the one followed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). It covers medicine and medical technology/science, biological and physical sciences, mathematics and computing, and engineering and technology. STEM or non-STEM first degree (STEM): a binary variable denoting whether the content of the individual’s first degree comprised at least 50% STEM subjects (i.e. single subject, at least one subject in a joint degree, the major component in a major/minor combination, or at least two of the three in a triple combination), following HEFCE’s definition (coded Yes); others were coded No
Wilson (2009)	The Demand for STEM Graduates and Postgraduates. London: CIHE.	UK	The Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) considers that sports, science, psychology, architecture and building and planning fall within the category of STEM (CIHE Citation2009), all subjects which HEFCE consider not to be STEM.
House of Commons (2018)	Delivering STEM skills to the economy	England	“STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In education, it means the study of these subjects, either exclusively or in combination.” “In employment, STEM refers to a job that requires the application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills or a qualification in a relevant subject, or that is located in a particular industry or sector, such as pharmaceuticals, construction or aerospace.”
UKCES (2015)	Reviewing the requirement for high level STEM skills	England	Scientists, Engineering professionals, IT professionals and technicians, Quality professionals, R&D managers, Production, Health and Safely officers, Environment conservation professionals (Specified clearly that Maths was not included)
DfE (2019)	Attitudes towards STEM subjects by gender at KS4	England	Science, Technology/Mathematics
Okay-Somerville et al. (2020)	Disentangling the impact of social disadvantage on ‘becoming employable’: evidence from STEM student university-to-work transitions	Scotland	Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

Table 3. Definition of STEM in higher education

Groups with STEM (Groups A-K)	Non-STEM subjects (Groups L-X)
A - Medicine and Dentistry	L - Social Studies
B - Subjects allied to Medicine	M - Law
C - Biological Sciences	N - Business and Administrative Studies
D - Veterinary Sciences, Agriculture and related subjects	P - Mass Communication and Documentation
F - Physical Sciences	Q - Linguistics, Classics and Related Subjects
G - Mathematical Sciences	R - European Languages, Literature and related subjects
H - Engineering	T - Eastern, Asiatic, African, American and Australasian Languages, Literature and related subjects
I - Computer Sciences	V - Historical and Philosophical Studies
J - Technologies	W - Creative Arts and Design
K - Architecture, Building and Planning	X - Education

Source: Based on JACS 3 listing of the highest-level Groups in HE in the Science and Technology Select Committee report (2012).

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Data availability statement

The data used in this paper is from research reports in the public domain so does not involve third party rights