STEM explores the common claim that the U.S. has, and will continue to, experience a lack of qualified employees to fill STEM jobs. This report finds, however, while that the concern for STEM shortages tends to focus on the possibility of an insufficient supply of STEM workers, the more critical issue is the broader scarcity of workers with basic STEM competencies across the entire economy. As STEM jobs only encompass about 5% of the economy, basic competency in the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is important for a very broad range of high-growth industries including health care and professional and business services.