Jena survey finds rising insecurity among postdocs

A study that interviewed more than 400 postdoctoral students from the Graduate Academy of Friedrich Schiller University Jena found that insecurity around job prospects in science is growing.

Compared with a similar study conducted in 2010, fewer postdocs said they believed they can obtain a professorship position in their chosen field. Only 25 per cent of the postdocs said they think that it is likely or very likely.

Additionally, the postdocs provided information about their career goals within and outside the scientific system, about their assessment of career opportunities, the support they received from their superiors, and about the compatibility of family and career.