Stepan Petrovich Zemtsov

The field of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is one of the most promising in education. These professionals are employed in high-tech industries and creative industries that determine the future of the global economy. The article for the first time presents a detailed analysis of the development of this sphere based on original approaches, both in general in the Russian Federation and in the context of regions. In Russia more than half a million people are annually admitted to STEAM training courses for higher education programs. Contrary to the all-Russian trend of reducing the number of students, enrollment for these programs has been steadily growing. According to the latest data, about 36% of university graduates in Russia have a specialty within STEAM; for comparison: in South Korea, Singapore, and Germany this share is above 45%. The largest share of specialists is trained in the Tomsk region, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. At the same time, the number of STEAM graduates decreased in 41 Russian regions. In 2022, the risks for the STEAM industry in Russia have increased markedly: there is a migration outflow of the most qualified personnel, and domestic demand for them is declining. In general, for six months (from February to August), the total number of vacancies in the Russian labor market decreased by 9%, while STEM - by 23% (IT - by 32.5%). This may affect the long-term scientific and technological development of the country: our calculations show the importance of STEAM for creating start-ups, increasing publication and inventive activity. In conclusion the article proposes some measures on the development of STEAM as a tool for long-term development and a way to adapt the country to external shocks.