Lies, Damn Lies, and Engineering Manpower

Heard the One About the 600,000 Chinese Engineers? is very interesting for how a set of poorly-vetted data can take on a life of their own.

I've heard the IEEE-USA referring to such numbers, too. I think their interest is a combination of wanting to strengthen American competitiveness, but also to ensure increased funding for engineering education and research. In other words, self-serving for the greater good!