The Labor Market for Statisticians and other Scientists

Abstract

During the last few years, a great deal of anguish has been expressed by young scientists who believe that the job market is inhospitable to them and complain that the time and effort invested in their education has not enabled them to find the kinds of jobs that led them to pursue their degrees in the first place. Statisticians have not been as vocal in these complaints as their colleagues in some other fields. We ask whether this is a reflection of statisticians facing a better job situation than some of their colleagues. Using data from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, conducted for the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies by the National Academy of Sciences and information collected by a number of professional societies, we conclude that they are, in fact, not as bad off as their colleagues in some other fields. Judging by their unemployment rates and the limited indicators we have of underemployment, individuals with doctorates in statistics are relatively likely to find suitable employment. Furthermore, salaries are somewhat higher for individuals with training in statistics than for the general doctoral population. More work is needed, however, to determine whether the jobs they receive are sufficiently challenging and professionally satisfying given the education/training that the doctorate or other degree-level individual has undergone.