Will I find a job as a scientist?

Young researchers are often disoriented about what they should do with their expertise and whether they will find a job after their doctorate or postdoc. The good news is that the unemployment rate of PhD holders is surprisingly low. The bad news is that young scientists often do not work in the field they have expected.

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Will I be unemployed and homeless as a scientist?

Young researchers in the late phase of their PhD or close to the end of their postdoc contract often get nervous and may even panic because they have no clear vision of their future job and where to look for job opportunities.

In addition, many research scientists worry that factors like their gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or veteran status may affect their career opportunities, even though most universities and many companies uphold strong equal opportunity and anti-discrimination policies.

The fear of becoming a jobless PhD is a common concern, and – indeed – many worry about being unemployed after their PhD.

They usually start screening online job boards several times daily and may become increasingly frustrated.

What are the job prospects for young scientists?

Unfortunately, most available studies refer to rather old datasets for methodological reasons such as a time lag between data collection and publication.

However, in the US National Science Foundation’s Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR) 2021 you can find detailed information on employment and unemployment rates by field of doctorate in the National Science Foundation’s report on doctorate holders.

The analysis is very detailed, with a general unemployment rate of 1.9 (SE 0.10) among U.S. residing doctoral scientists and engineers by fine field of doctorate.

The range is between 0.7 (SE 0.30) in pharmacology and toxicology or 0.7 (SE 0.25) in clinical psychology versus 4.2 (SE 1.90) in oceanography.

Thus, the unemployment rate of doctorate recipients in the US (1.9) is significantly lower than the general unemployment rate of 4.83 in the United States (2021, according to Statista). Thus, the rate of unemployed PhDs is lower than the general population.

This means that PhD unemployment is much less of an issue compared to the general population.

Globally, the data from (economically strong) OECD countries give some insight. According to Hnatkova et al, 2022 Eur J Edu, on average across OECD countries, 25–64 year-olds with a doctorate have the highest employment rate of all educational attainment levels, at 92% compared to 88% for those with a master’s degree (OECD, 2019b).

Hnatkova et al., 2022 also state that the average unemployment rate for doctorate holders (at 2%) was roughly three percentage points lower than that for other tertiary-level graduates, with the highest shares of unemployed PhDs in humanities and natural sciences (OECD CDH, 2013). Similarly, low unemployment rates between 3% and 4% of doctorate recipients have been reported in the ESF studies (Boman et al., 2021; ESF, 2017). These data are independent of the national origin of the researchers.

What are the expectations of young scientists?

In a survey, we performed in Belgium (Belgian Postdoc Survey 2012), we received feedback from 413 postdoctoral fellows from all scientific domains at Belgian universities.

Nearly 80% of all postdocs hoped to pursue a career in academia.

Similarly, in the Nature 2017 PhD survey of more than 5,700 early-career scientists worldwide, about 75% of all responding young scientists before graduation reported that it is likely that they will pursue an academic career when they graduate! However, the reality is often different, with many PhDs finding themselves jobless (rarely) or in a position they had not anticipated (often).

Where do PhD holders find a job?

To find orientation, getting an idea of where other scientists found a job is crucial. Older data from the Flemish Council for Science and Innovation (VRWB) suggest that about 1/3 of all PhD holders do a postdoc, while 2/3 directly start a non-academic career in the public sector, NGOs, industry, or teaching.

About 18% of the postdocs pursue an academic career. Nearly half of them become permanent academic staff in the academic administration, for example, the staff of a doctoral school or a tech transfer office. Only 3-5% of all PhD holders become professors.

It also means that about 90% of all postdocs join the non-academic job market (public sector, NGOs, industry, or teaching) – which can be very motivating for those fearing being unemployed after their PhD. Therefore, it is crucial for all scientists to carefully reflect and analyze whether doing a postdoc is a useful experience and a valuable career step.

Will a postdoc increase or decrease my market value?

A dollar sign representing market value of a postdoc

This is a complex question. The answer depends largely on your career goals.

A postdoc period is probably unavoidable if you want to become a tenured professor. The duration of your postdoc period can vary between 2 and 6 years – depending on your field and goals.

In fields like civil engineering, mechanical engineering, physical science, computer science, and machine learning, an acdemic or industry postdoc period may significantly boost technical expertise and increase hiring potential in both academic and industrial roles. However, direct industry experience (without a postdoc framework) may be similarly useful.

The same consideration is probably true for many other professions such as data scientists, forensic scientists, materials scientists, medical scientists, clinical scientist, environmental scientists or chemical engineers.

Thus, you must discuss this question with at least 3-5 different persons who already have the job you might aspire and let them explain all advantages and disadvantages of your alternatives.

For those who want to avoid being a jobless PhD with no job after postdoc, it’s essential to evaluate whether a postdoc aligns with their career aspirations.

Interstingly, a postdoc may even be counterproductive if you envision a career outside of academia (e.g., public sector, industry, policy, politics, NGOs, teaching …).

Beryl Lieff Benderly analyzed the US-American 2014 National Academies report in a thoughtful essay. She pointed out that, according to the report, an increasing number of postdocs pursued non-academic careers that do not require the expertise gained during multiple postdoc years.

Postdocs may make significant sacrifices in salary.

When they take a non-academic job later, they start with a lower wage, less than contemporaries who took jobs right after their PhDs, and their incomes never catch up.

In other words, you may earn less during your postdoc period and earn less when taking a non-academic job later compared to a colleague who started working immediately after finishing his/her PhD.

As a reminder, over 80% of all postdocs join the non-academic job market!

Of course, salary is only one element to consider when choosing a career. Scientists often find meaning, fulfillment, curiosity, or continuous learning more important than a good salary.

However, if you make clever decisions, you can have both – a fulfilling job and a good salary.

A postdoc is not your only career option!

Based on the above considerations, more than 90% of all PhD graduates find a job outside academia, so it may be smart to consider alternatives to a postdoc.

If you want to avoid being an unemployed PhD, consider exploring other career paths outside of academia instead of assuming a postdoc and becoming a university employee is the only option.

If you are doing a postdoc right now but realize that you can not reach your career goals in your current appointment, you should consider quitting your postdoc and finding a better position. The sooner, the better!

Arunodoy Sur wrote an instructive article about the misleading idea that a postdoc is your only career option after your PhD.

He claims that most PhDs transition into an academic postdoc, even when they would rather transition into an industry position because the entire academic system has led them to believe there is no other choice.

His article gives ten examples of top non-academic careers you may consider applying for, such as market research analyst, business development manager, or medical communication specialist.

Qualified applicants in scientific fields such as environmental science or the medical field often find roles in top employers like government agencies or NGOs – thus, not only companies or universities.

You do not have to do a postdoc or continue doing a postdoc.

The key is that you must work to change your situation and prepare the next big move. To secure your ideal industry position, you must prepare yourself by gathering as much information about alternative career options for science graduates as possible.

Those exploring options outside academia can benefit from career guides provided by organizations like the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which highlight alternative roles in scientific research and industry.

Some websites and job boards use phrases like ‘jobs for scientist’ in their tags, which may help refine your search. However, when you are searching online with general terms like ‘jobs for scientist’, ‘jobs for scientists’, or ‘jobs for a scientist’ you will get very unspecific, broad collections of job descriptions or job offers. This might help to get a new orientation and find interesting alternatives. If you want to stay in your field, look for your specific qualification (such as ‘jobs for data scientist’, ‘jobs for environment science’, ‘jobs for computer scientist’, or ‘jobs for health science’ or even more specific) to get more specific results from the search engine or AI.

You must also begin to grow your non-academic network. Only then will you be able to transition into the non-academic career of your choice.

Flexible working: Science in the gig economy!

In a Naturejobs article in 2017, Roberta Kwok pointed out that the global gig economy has influenced industries from taxi driving to software engineering via websites and apps such as Uber, TaskRabbit, and Upwork. Similarly, people with scientific training may prefer (or are forced) to sell short-term services to many clients rather than holding down single full-time science jobs.

They offer services on sites like Upwork or find projects through their previous academic networks. Freelancers with backgrounds in the life or physical sciences sell services such as statistical reviews and literature searches through the online platform Kolabtree.com.

Scientific freelancing platforms may also provide researchers with opportunities to apply their expertise in short-term research projects, such as forensic scientists analyzing crime scenes or medical scientists conducting literature reviews. If done for a limited time, these activities may improve your curriculum vitae.

The advantages are clear – you have much more flexibility, no boss who pushes you around, you can focus on the activities you enjoy and bring the most income, and you can learn many valuable skills.

On the downside, you have no financial security, clients can be demanding, and your long-term career perspectives may not be bright.

Young scientists often do not work in the field they have expected

For many young researchers, the transition from academic studies to their first job can be surprising, as they often find themselves in roles and with a job title different from what they initially envisioned. While some pursue careers as a research scientist in an academic institution or industry (pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, medical equipment, materials engineering), others leverage their scientific knowledge in less traditional roles such as policy scientist, business scientist, or even as leaders in product development teams. Companies seeking candidates for scientific positions often emphasize skills that go beyond lab work, such as project management, collaboration in cross-functional environments, and writing technical reports.

Organizations hiring young scientists often look for diverse talents to manage complex projects, such as the successful execution of a clinical study or creating protocol designs for groundbreaking research. For instance, roles like associate clinical trial manager or senior director of biostatistics require both technical expertise and leadership skills. Companies increasingly seek candidates who can work, for example, on novel peptides, oversee peptide analytical chemistry, or support quality control in the development of new products that meet stringent regulatory requirements.

Inclusive opportunities and diversity in science careers

To attract the next generation of scientists, forward-thinking organizations emphasize inclusivity. As an equal opportunity employer or affirmative action employer, they ensure that candidates with diverse backgrounds, including those with mental disabilities or medical conditions, can access reasonable accommodations during the application process. Many organizations highlight their commitments to diversity in science careers on their company career page or gov website, offering compensation packages and growth opportunities that appeal to young talent with a science degree. Whether you’re a technician scientist, an environmental scientist, or a program lead tackling program-related challenges, the scientific job market is full of unexpected but rewarding opportunities.

Conclusions

In conclusion, your chances of finding a job as a scientist are excellent compared to the general population. However, your expectations may be unrealistic, positions in academia are limited, and most PhD holders work outside academia.

If you want to avoid becoming a PhD unemployed and struggling to find work, it’s crucial to explore all available options beyond academia.

A postdoc seems attractive and may appear as the only career option, but there are multiple job alternatives for a postdoctoral researcher. Exploring a closely related field or roles requiring only a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in scientific disciplines can be a much more efficient way to start a career compared to a lengthy postdoc priod.

Furthermore, you may consider short-term jobs via gig economy platforms with all advantages and disadvantages. Thus, it is critical to get a crystal-clear idea of what kind of career you want to pursue.

Acknowledgments

I have used AI systems, including Grammarly, Google Gemini, and ChatGPT, to enhance the English and comprehensiveness of this article. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to purchase through my link. Thus, you support smartsciencecareer at no cost to you!

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