14/03/2017

Graduate chemists settle in various sectors

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Dialogic has mapped out the education-to-labour market flows for the Chemistry top sector. The research reveals that almost twice as many students now opt for a chemistry education compared to ten years ago. The largest increase is seen in higher and university education. Only 10% to 20% of chemistry graduates end up working in the chemical sector, while 30% to 40% find placements in other related sectors such as Energy, High Tech Systems and Materials, Agri & Food, and Healthcare. An equal percentage go on to work in sectors completely outside of chemistry.

The research has also identified key topics for further investigation. There is a strong need to gain a sector-transcending overview of the human capital flows. The observation that chemistry graduates move into various (top) sectors reinforces the idea that sector-transcending analyses in the field of human capital will lead to relevant insights. Furthermore, there is a call for more qualitative analysis of the shift in required competencies within chemical professions. While our research has broadly looked at categories of demand for chemists in chemical sectors, a more qualitative analysis of any shifts in demand for chemists or competencies within professions is a relevant deepening that should be addressed in future research. For example, what role do digital skills play in chemistry professions?

Download the report here.