The number of minority engineers has been steadily increasing throughout the nation's work forces. However, in spite of this national trend, the number of African-American and Hispanic engineers is remarkably low in Florida.

The percentage of minority engineers has remained virtually unchanged since 1998 even though the total number of engineers employed in Florida has increased. Nor has this figure changed in Florida's Northwest and Southern regions, where the minority population is much higher than the rest of state.

The percentage of the African-American and Hispanic population in Florida is higher than the national average. In some parts of the state, the percentages are even more pronounced. For instance, the African-American population in Northwest Florida is more than 19 percent, and reaches 57.1 and 38.3 percent in counties like Gadsden and Jefferson, respectively.

Likewise, Hispanics make up nearly 30 percent of South Florida's population, and reaches over 55 percent in Miami-Dade County, according to the 2000 Census. The Florida Labor Market Statistics (FLMS) reported that there were 57,549 engineers employed in Florida in 2002, an increase of 8.8 percent since 1998. Slightly over 10 percent of those were Hispanic and less than 5 percent were African American. These percentages change only slightly in the South for Hispanics and in the Northwest for African Americans, despite the huge increases in demographics.

The shortage in minority employment cannot be attributed to the lack of minority engineers. Florida's colleges of engineering are among the leading institutes in the nation awarding bachelor degrees in engineering to minorities. Over 650 engineering degrees are awarded annually to African Americans and Hispanics by the colleges of engineering in Florida, according to the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Report. This number is growing fast, especially among Hispanics.

Many companies and government agencies participate in career expositions, sponsored by the universities and colleges, to recruit minority engineers. For example, over 60 "heavy industry" and a few government agencies participate in "Engineering Day" in the fall and "Industrial Day" in the spring, two events organized by the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Such participation reflects the national demand for Florida's minority engineering graduates.

There is no clear reason why minority engineers are under-represented in Florida's work force despite their large percentages and the availability of the required education. Nevertheless, the situation needs to change. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has published a manuscript to help federal agencies develop an effective program to "build and maintain a diverse and high-quality work force."

Florida's businesses and government agencies may benefit from the study's recommendations to make the demographics of Florida's engineering work force more representative of Florida's demographics.