Nuclear Energy Industry Faces Labor Shortage

It is estimated that nuclear utilities need to recruit nearly 25,000 qualified workers to fill positions scheduled to open due to retirements through 2016.  However, US universities awarded only 715 degrees in related fields in 2009, and the number of degree-granting institutions has shrunk to 32.  In an article in Bloomberg Business Week, the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, along with the weak economy, have retarded those employment efforts.  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/a-labor-shortage-for-us-nuclear-plants-07072011.html