Study: Industry Demand For Chemists Rising

The median starting salaries for most new chemistry graduates rose slightly last year, according to a survey recently conducted by the American Chemical Society. Although the pay increases were modest, they were prompted by continued hiring by pharmaceutical companies, as well as efforts by industry and academia to keep pace with inflation, according to several recruiting experts. Bachelor's graduates received a median salary of $24,000, a 4.3 percent increase over the 1991 level. Joan Burrelli, senior research analyst with ACS in Washington, D.C., says that 1992 was the first time in three years that starting pay rose above $23,000. Median starting salaries for master's graduates eroded slightly, to $31,500, a 1.6 percent drop from the 1991 figure. However, Burrelli notes that the number of master's graduates hired was rather small, suggesting that salaries actually were flat. Ph.D. graduates received $47,500, a 3.3 percent increase in median starting pay, a boost driven by pharmaceutical companies that are hiring chemists to fill a steady stream of research- related positions. "Overall, demand is picking up," says Burrelli, adding that the percentage of people with five or more job offers rose and that unemployment for newly graduated chemists dropped, encouraging signs after a few years of stagnation. For bachelor's grads, unemployment was 10 percent, down from last year's 14 percent. Sixty-five percent of all bachelor's grads found employment, up from 62 percent. Among master's grads, unemployment fell 1 percent, to 6 percent. compiled its results by mailing surveys last summer to new chemistry graduates. Approximately 3,000 graduates responded, including 2,100 bachelor's grads, 350 master's grads, and 550 Ph.D.'s, Burrelli says. Despite the encouraging signs, recruiting experts say the market for new chemistry grads remained soft in many areas and that the slight increase in median pay probably reflected raises given to match inflation of about 3 percent. "The percentage here means nothing--2 to 4 percent gains really isn't a lot of noise," says chemistry professor Edward Kostiner of the University of Connecticut in Storrs. "There's nothing dramatic happening right now." Experts say the recession squelched much hiring in the chemical and oil industries and squeezed budgets at most universities, particularly those financed by government. "A lot of corporations are sitting on the sidelines and not recruiting this year," says Ted Logan, manager of technical recruiting for the Procter & Gamble Co. in Cincinnati. "I think everybody's waiting for the economy to turn around." One of the marked exceptions, though, has been the pharmaceutical industry, which recruiters say was responsible for a great many of the job offers made to new graduates recently. Ph.D.'s with expertise in bioanalytical chemistry or synthetic organic chemistry, in particular, fared well. "Ph.D. hiring is mainly in the pharmaceutical area," says ACS's Burrelli. "The recession has hit oil and chemical companies, but the pharmaceutical industry has been somewhat recession-proof. Sales are up, so they're starting to hire." These companies have also provided fertile opportunity for new bachelor's grads. Overall, the median starting salary for bachelor's graduates in industry was $25,000, up 2 percent from the 1991 level. Master's graduates received $35,000, a 4.5 percent gain. Ph.D.'s received $50,600, a 5.4 percent increase. There is underemployment among chemists, however. Burrelli says it appears that many bachelor's grads may have accepted lower- paying jobs as technicians, rather than as higher-paid staff scientists, a recruiting strategy that some companies use to save money. It also suggests that a larger number of better-paying jobs wasn't available. "My feeling is that much of the hiring went on at smaller companies offering technician jobs," says James Burke, manager of research recruiting and university relations at Rohm and Haas Co. in Spring House, Pa. "Jobs are no longer chasing people; people are chasing jobs." "The fact that we're in a global recession with a lot of political instability makes companies want to proceed cautiously," he says, con- tending that "economic regulation also has a price tag that defers growth.... In general, I know of several companies that made cutbacks in the number of hires. We did, too." Similarly, academia has felt the recessionary pinch, which appears to have limited opportunities for chemists. With the large number of Ph.D. graduates in recent years, many schools have their pick from among those grads with at least some postdoctorate experience. "The market was tighter last year than the year before," says Kostiner. "We're drowning in applications." And many positions are left vacant as schools look to freeze or cut costs. "Many are downsizing," Kostiner says. "Others are reassessing faculty size and enrollment levels, often meaning there are fewer positions." Nonetheless, these experts say that there is room for optimism, particularly for new chemists seeking work in industry, if the economy picks up. "It's definitely not that people aren't getting jobs," says Burrelli. "It's just taking longer to find them, and they may have less choice." Rohm and Haas' Burke says that 1993 "should be better than 1992, but not by much." Still, he adds, "there are no grounds for despair... but kids will have to work hard." Edward R. Silverman is a freelance writer based in Hoboken, N.J.

Study: Industry Demand For Chemists Rising

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