Employment in the Life Sciences: A Mixed Outlook

Abstract

Have employment opportunities matched the tremendous growth in the production of biological scientists? Has job growth been consistent across the various biological and agricultural disciplines? And has compensation for these highly trained professionals kept up with other fields? This article examines these issues using national data from two sources: (1) the National Science Foundation's education and employment databases, the Integrated Science and Engineering Resources Data System (WebCASPAR) and the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT); and (2) 2004 employment and salary membership information collected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. We find a fairly mixed picture for life scientists at the beginning of the 21st century. Degree production has continued to grow steadily at all levels of postsecondary education, led by an increasing number of women interested in the field. Current job prospects seem fairly positive overall, with low unemployment, but job opportunities vary by sector and subdiscipline. Salaries, while lagging behind those for medicine and engineering, are above national averages. Negative findings include a distinct decline in tenure rates, and a huge salary gap between men and women.