Assessing the Needs of the Quantum Industry

• Published in: IEEE transactions on education Vol. 65; no. 4; pp. 592 - 601
• Main Authors: Hughes, Ciaran, Finke, Doug, German, Dan-Adrian, Merzbacher, Celia, Vora, Patrick M., Lewandowski, H. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.11.2022; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE); Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Academic Degrees; Algorithms; Career Choice; Colleges & universities; Companies; Computer Science Education; Education; Educational Policy; Employer Attitudes; Employment Opportunities; Employment Qualifications; Error correction; Industrial applications; Industries; Information Science; Information Technology; Investment; Job Skills; Labor Force; Labor Force Development; Needs Assessment; policy; Quantum computing; Quantum information science; Quantum Mechanics; Quantum phenomena; Skill Development; Skills; Stakeholders; Students; Workforce; workforce development
• ISSN: 0018-9359; 1557-9638
• DOI: 10.1109/TE.2022.3153841

Background: Quantum information science and technology (QIST) has progressed significantly in the last decade, such that it is no longer solely in the domain of research labs, but is now beginning to be developed for, and applied in, industrial applications and products. With the emergence of this new quantum industry, a new workforce trained in QIST skills and knowledge is needed. Research Questions: To help support the education and training of this workforce, universities and colleges require knowledge of the type of jobs available for their students and what skills and degrees are most relevant for those new jobs. What are these jobs, skills, and degrees? Methodology: We report on the results from a survey of 57 companies in the quantum industry, with the goal of elucidating the jobs, skills, and degrees that are relevant for this new workforce. Findings: We find a range of job opportunities from highly specific jobs, such as quantum algorithm developer and error correction scientist, to broader jobs categories within the business, software, and hardware sectors. These broader jobs require a range of skills, most of which are not quantum related. Furthermore, except for the highly specific jobs, companies that responded to the survey are looking for a range of degree levels to fill these new positions, from bachelors to masters to Ph.D.s. Contribution: With this knowledge, students, instructors, and university administrators can make informed decisions about how to address the challenge of increasing the future quantum workforce.