In the post-recession economy, jobs that require skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are in high demand compared to other jobs, according to a report released Tuesday by the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution.

Many metros, including the Tulsa area, are having to advertise for longer periods to fill these positions, which are also referred to as STEM jobs, because of the difficulty in finding qualified workers.

In its first metro analysis of job openings and hiring difficulty, Brookings finds that companies across the country are facing a growing challenge to fill STEM positions, despite high salary offers, according to the report.

The supply of STEM workers, which includes blue collar, craft and professional occupations, is not keeping up with demand.

For its report — “Still Searching: Job Vacancies and STEM Skills” — Brookings used a database produced by Burning Glass, a leader in labor market analytics. It looked at job vacancies advertised in every U.S. metro area on company websites in 2013, which included a total of 3.3 million advertisements across 52,000 companies.

Brookings, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, found that advertisements for STEM jobs run more than twice as long than those for all other types of jobs. Those that require a doctorate or professional degree are advertised an average of 50 days, compared to 33 days for all other vacancies, the report states.

According to Brookings, the Tulsa metro had 4,051 ads for job openings in the 2013 first quarter, of which 37 percent required STEM skills. The report said 25 percent of those ads required STEM skills and at least a bachelor’s degree.

The study also found that some STEM jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree are harder to fill than some professional non-STEM jobs that do require a bachelor’s degree, said Jonathan Rothwell, associate fellow at the […]