EMPLOYMENT SALARIES BY EMPLOYER Ph.D. graduates with industry jobs start off with big salary advantage $ THOUSANDS Academia Industry
B.A./B.S.
M.S.
PH.D.
$35.0
$38.0
$48.8
35.0
50.8
77.0
35.9
51.2
55.7
$35.0
$45.0
$72.4
Government/ other
ALL
NOTE: Median annual salaries of new chemistry graduates with full-time permanent employment as of early October 2005.
CLASS OF 2005 SALARIES & JOBS Chemists' starting salaries are up a notch from 2004, but employment scene remains below par
graduates, the dip was from $46,600 to $45,000. And for Ph.D.s, starting salaries dropped from $73,200 in 2 0 0 0 and $76,600 in 2001 to $72,400 in 2005. The 36% of 2005 bachelor's graduates with either permanent or temporary fulltime jobs was nominally higher than the 35% of 2004 graduates. For both master's and Ph.D. graduates, the corresponding percentages were down. At all three degree levels, the percentage of 2005 graduates with full-time jobs remained sharply below what it had been for the class of 2000 and those of the late 1990s.
THE NEW SURVEY did not reveal a sudden or disastrous one-year collapse in 2005 for the welfare and employment of chemistry TARTING SALARIES ARE UP FOR When inflation is taken into account, graduates. Rather, it indicated continuation new chemistry graduates. But not however, the median starting salaries for of the job market softness of recent years. to what they once were. And the 2005 graduates at all degree levels were still On the positive side, the survey, at least, job situation is still rather weak. below what they had been for 2000 gradurevealed the 2004-05 current-dollar salary That's the main story from the ates. On the basis of the Bureau of Labor gains. These were very welcome after some American Chemical Society's latest annual Statistics' (BLS) inflation calculator, the year-to-year declines in recent times. survey of the salaries and employment status five-year decline for bachelor's graduates of new graduates. The latest data indicate no clear upturn in constant 2005 dollars was from $38,000 Results indicate that chemists who gradby October of last year from the erosion of in 2000 to $35,000 in 2005. For master's uated between July 2 0 0 4 job opportunities for new and June 2005 and had fullchemists that has been going SALARIES OF INEXPERIENCED CHEMISTRY GRADS on since 2000—the last untime jobs by early October Constant-dollar starting pay is down from what it was five years had higher salaries than ambiguously strong year for ago for all degrees did those who graduated the economy, employment and found employment one in general, and the chemical PH.D B.A./B.S. M.S. year earlier. profession in particular. $ THOUSANDS CURRENT CONSTANT CURRENT CONSTANT CURRENT CONSTANT 1995 $25.0 $32.0 $46.1 $50.0 $64.1 $36.0 In current dollars, the The percentage of new 1996 56.0 25.0 34.1 42.4 45.0 31.1 median salary of inexperi2005 doctoral chemistry 1997 65.7 28.0 34.1 54.0 37.5 45.6 enced bachelor's graduates graduates with temporary 1998 71.1 29.5 35.4 38.5 46.1 59.3 increased from $32,500 for or permanent full-time em1999 71.5 30.0 35.2 49.2 61.0 42.0 the 2004 class to $35,000 ployment during the week for 2005 graduates. The gain starting Oct. 5,2005, was 2000 73.2 33.5 38.0 46.6 64.5 41.1 for master's graduates was 38%. This figure was down 2001 76.6 32.2 35.5 43.0 47.4 69.5 from $43,600 to $45,000, from 50% of the new gradu2002 73.2 33.7 31.0 45.0 48.9 67.5 and for new Ph.D.s, from ates in 2000. The parallel 2003 67.2 32.0 34.0 47.2 63.3 44.5 $65,000 to $72,400. 2 0 0 0 - 0 5 declines were 2004 67.2 32.5 33.6 45.1 65.0 43.6 Inexperienced gradufrom 62% to 48% for mas2005 72.4 35.0 35.0 45.0 72.4 45.0 ates are those with fewer ter's graduates and from NOTE: Median annual salaries of new chemistry graduates with full-time permanent employment than 12 months of techni44% to 36% for bachelor's and less than 12 months of technical work experience prior to graduation, as of early October of each year. Current dollars are for referenced year. Constant dollars are 2005 dollars. cal work experience prior graduates. Countercurrent to graduation. to the decline in Ph.D. emMICHAEL HEYLIN, C&EN WASHINGTON
S
WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG
C & E N / AUGUST 7, 2006
57
EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT STATUS Gradual erosion of job situation for chemistry graduates has been under way since 2000 1997
BACHELOR'S Full-time Permanent Temporary Part-time Permanent Temporary Graduate/ professional school Not employed Seeking Not seeking MASTER'S Full-time Permanent Temporary Part-time Permanent Temporary Graduate/ professional school Not employed Seeking Not seeking PH.D. Full-time Permanent Temporary Part-time Permanent Temporary Postdoc Not employed Seeking Not seeking
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
45% 33 12 4 1 3 43
46% 36 10 3 1 2 43
46% 36 10 4 1 3 43
44% 35 9 3 1 2 46
40% 31 9 4 1 3 47
36% 26 10 7 1 6 47
33% 24 9 8 2 6 49
35% 25 10 5 1 4 49
36% 27 9 5 1 4 47
8 5 3
8 5 3
7 5 2
7 4 3
9 6 3
11 6 5
10 7 3
11 7 4
12 8 4
54% 46 8 4 1 3 36
56% 49 7 2 1 1 35
60% 53 7 2 0 2 31
62% 56 6 4 1 3 27
55% 49 6 6 2 4 33
43% 38 5 3 1 2 47
47% 41 6 7 2 5 33
53% 48 5 5 2 3 32
48% 45 3 10 1 9 30
6 5 1
7 5 2
7 5 2
7 5 2
6 5 1
8 5 3
13 10 3
11 7 4
12 9 3
40% 35 5 2 0 2 51 7 5 2
48% 44 4 2 1 1 45 5 3 2
49% 43 6 2 0 2 45 4 2 2
50% 45 5 1 0 1 41 8 3 5
48% 45 3 1 0 1 44 7 3 4
51% 45 6 2 0 2 40 8 5 3
42% 37 5 3 1 2 51 5 4 1
39% 37 2 1 0 1 52 8 5 3
38% 34 4 2 0 2 51 9 5 4
& Technology under the general guidance of the ACS Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs. This committee also has oversight of ACS's annual review of the salary and employment status ofACS members in the domestic workforce (C&EN, Aug. 1,2005, page 41). For the survey of new graduates, questionnaires were sent to 10,500 graduates whose addresses were gathered and provided by ACS's Office of Professional Training. About 83% were chemistry graduates, and 17% were chemical engineers. USABLE RESPONSES totaled almost 3,100, for a 29% response rate. The chemistry graduates polled were from schools with ACS-approved chemistry undergraduate programs. The chemical engineering graduates polled were from the chemical engineering departments at the same schools that are accredited by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology. About 2,600 of the respondents were chemists; about 500 were chemical engineers. These samples represented about 18% of total 2005 chemistry graduates, as measured by ACS, and about 8% of chemi-
AGE AT GRADUATION Median age of 2005 Ph.D. chemistry graduates was 30 years AGE
Median Mean Minimum Maximum
B.A./B.S.
M.S.
PH.D.
23 24 20 81
28 30 22 62
30 31 23 54
NOTE: Employment status of all new chemistry graduates s as of early October each yea
DEMOGRAPHICS ployment was the increase in postdocs from 41% to 51% over the same period. The percentage of bachelor's chemistry
graduates who were not employed increased from 7% of the 2000 class to 12% of the class of 2005. For master's graduates, the corresponding 2 0 0 0 - 0 5 increase was also from 7% SALARIES BY JOB FUNCTION to 12%. For Ph.D. graduData are mixed, but full-time salaries of men and ates, it was from 8% to 9%. women at bachelor's level are about equal overall For those unemployed but seeking employment, the $ THOUSANDS MEN WOMEN TOTAL rise was 4% of bachelor's Development & design $42.3 $45.0 $43.0 in 2 0 0 0 to 8% in 2 0 0 5 . Management 46.0 38.0 — For master's, the gain was Research 40.0 35.0 36.8 from 5% to 9%, and it was Teaching 36.4 35.8 — from 3% to 5% for Ph.D. Professional services 36.0 35.0 — graduates. Production/quality control 32.0 33.7 33.0 Other 30.0 35.0 32.3 Since 2003, the starting salary survey has been conALL $36.0 $35.0 $35.0 ducted by Senior Research Associate Janel KasperNOTE: Median salaries for 2005 graduates with full-time permanent employment as of early October 2005. — = insufficient data. Wolfe of ACS's Department of Member Research
58
C & E N / AUGUST 7, 2006
Almost 40% of 2005 Ph.D. chemistry degrees were earned by noncitizens CITIZENSHIP U.S. native born Naturalized Permanent resident Temporary visa GENDER Men Women RACE White Asian Black American Indian Other ETHNICITY Hispanic
B.A./B.S.
M.S.
PH.D.
90.0% 6.0 2.7
65.5% 9.3 6.2
57.8% 3.8 6.3
1.3
19.0
32.2
47.7 52.3
49.3 50.7
67.4 32.6
78.7 9.3 6.0 0.4 5.6
67.0 23.1 5.3 0.4 4.2
65.6 27.8 3.2 0.3 3.1
6.0
7.2
3.2
NOTE: Percentages are of all chemistry graduates.
WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG
pm -co rnpo
Our work is someone's hope Join us
»
West Point, PA NEUROSCIENCE • Sr. Research Fellow Alzheimer's Disease • Sr. Research Biologists Steep and Pain • Bio/Staff Bio/Research Biologists In vitro/in vivo Neurochemistry Sleep, Pain, Schizophrenia, Alzheimer's Disease, Stroke • Bio/Staff Bio/Research Biologists in vivo - Alzheimer's Disease VACCINES AND BIOLOGICS • Sr. Research Biologist Molecular Virology • Bio/Staff Bio/Research Biologists RNAi & Molecular Biology CANCER RESEARCH • Sr. Research Biologist RNAi
IMAGING • Sr. Research Chemist Radiochemists • Sr. Research Pharmacologists • Bio/Staff Bio/Research Biologist - Pharmacologist • Sr. Research Physicists MRI/MRS STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY • Sr. Research Chemist • Bio/Staff Bio/Research Biologists MOLECULAR ENDOCRINOLOGY • Director Osteoporosis • Sr. Research Biologist Sarcopenia
Rahway, NJ MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY « Research Associate Synthetic Chemistry
METABOLIC DISORDERS • Electrophysiologist
TARGET VALIDATION • Sr. Research Chemists
BIOMARKERS • Sr. Research Scientists • Research Scientists
APOPTOSIS • Sr. Research Scientists • Research Scientists IMMUNOLOGY • Sr. Immunologists
CARDIOVASCULAR
EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE • Assoc. Director, Clinical Research CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY • Assoc. Director, Clinical Research
Boston. MA NEUROSCIENCE • Sr. Director, Pharmacology • Director, CNS Pharmacology • Sr. Research Fellow Alzheimer's Disease • Research Fellows Alzheimer's Disease CNS Pharmacology • Sr. Research Biologists Alzheimer's Disease CNS Pharmacology Behavioral Pharmacology • Research Associates Alzheimer's Disease CNS Pharmacology MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY • Research Biologists RESEARCH OPERATIONS
CANCER BIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS • Research Associates MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY » Sr. Medicinal Chemist • Sr. Computational Chemist • Associate Scientists Medicinal Chemistry Drug Metabolism Synthetic Organic Chemistry AUTOMATED LEAD OPTIMIZATION • Lab Robotics/Automation Engineer • Sr. Research Biochemist Focused Library Screening • Sr. Research Biologist Physiochemical Screening
» Research Animal Specialists
wwW.me^^ WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG
Where patients c o m e f l r s t ; . ( H > ' M E R C K
C&EN
/ AUGUST
7, 2 0 0 6
59
"
