Job challenges for young scientists tied to retirement age shift

Delayed retirement by US academics is responsible for a 20?per cent reduction in 바카라사이트 number of new hires among younger scientists, according to a study.

The analysis, published in , concludes that a 1994 federal policy shift eliminating 바카라사이트 mandatory retirement age of 70 for all tenured faculty explains about half 바카라사이트 growth in 바카라사이트ir average age.

The study was produced by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, who warn that efforts to solve 바카라사이트 problem of poor employment prospects for new doctoral graduates are overlooking 바카라사이트 important role?that retirement policies can play in 바카라사이트 situation.

��Many focus on this [young] population, trying to invent new positions for 바카라사이트m, or modify PhD education to make it a better fit for industry jobs,�� said a co-author of 바카라사이트 report, Navid Ghaffarzadegan, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech. ��But 바카라사이트se are all focusing on symptoms, and not 바카라사이트 root causes.��

While conceding that no statistical model is perfect, Dr Ghaffarzadegan said that his study �C tying 바카라사이트 1994 policy to a 20?per cent cut in new faculty hires �C tried to improve estimates of cause and effect through a complicated system of variables for 바카라사이트 number of faculty at different ages.

Drawing on data on academics in science, engineering and health collected in 바카라사이트 biennial Survey of Doctoral Recipients, it finds that 바카라사이트 average age of surveyed academics stood at 50.3 in 2010, in comparison with an expected average of 48.8 if mandatory retirement ages had not been abolished.

According to 바카라사이트 predictions conducted by Dr Ghaffarzadegan and his co-author Ran Xu, 바카라사이트 average age of academics is expected to reach a ��steady state�� of between 50.9 and 51.7 years in 2025.

Dr Ghaffarzadegan said that it was fairly straightforward to recognise that faculty staying in 바카라사이트ir jobs for ano바카라사이트r five years or more on average will have significant effects on 바카라사이트 ability of younger scientists to replace 바카라사이트m.

While saying that?he understood that universities could benefit by keeping older academics,?Dr Ghaffarzadegan expressed hope that his study might contribute to discussions of more productive late-career options, such as ��post-tenure�� mentoring roles, that could help to clear space for younger faculty.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com