A report published this week by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States has found that only 1.5 per cent of PhDs were unemployed in 1995, compared with an average US unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent. The report, "Who Is Unemployed? Factors Affecting Unemployment Among Individuals with Doctoral Degrees in Science and Engineering", looked at data from 1973 to 1993 and 1995.
The report also found that the PhD unemployment rate varies with the age at which people received their PhD. The rate varies from 0.6 per cent for those receiving PhDs before the age of 26, to 5.8 per cent for those above 40. The report also finds that unemployment rates are lower for male PhDs who are married compared with those who are single, with the opposite happening for female PhDs. The figures also reveal that teaching is the most secure profession, with only 0.4 per cent of physics teachers with PhDs unemployed.
