In 2013, an estimated 837,900 individuals in the United States held research doctoral degrees in science, engineering, and health (SEH) fields, an increase of 4.0% from 2010.[2] Of these individuals, approximately 735,900 were in the labor force, which includes those employed full time or part time and those actively seeking work (i.e., unemployed). The unemployment rate for SEH doctorate recipients in the labor force was 2.1% in February 2013, down from 2.4% in October 2010 (table 1). Moreover, the 2013 unemployment rate of the SEH doctoral labor force was one-third of the February 2013 unemployment rate for the general population aged 25 years or older (6.3%).[3]
TABLE 1. Number in labor force and unemployment rate for scientists and engineers with U.S. doctoral degrees, by field of doctorate: Selected years, 2001–13
Field of doctorate
2001
2003
2006
2008
2010
2013
Number in labor force
All SEH fields
582,500
606,300
630,300
670,200
709,700
735,900
Biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences
142,400
148,800
158,200
167,600
179,600
187,700
Computer and information sciences
10,900
12,300
13,700
16,300
19,400
22,200
Mathematics and statistics
26,300
29,000
29,500
31,200
32,500
33,000
Physical sciences
113,200
115,700
115,800
119,900
124,400
125,600
Psychology
89,600
93,000
97,500
101,000
104,200
106,600
Social sciences
77,200
79,600
81,000
85,100
88,700
90,200
Engineering
101,300
104,400
108,000
119,800
129,100
136,300
Health
21,500
23,600
26,500
29,300
31,800
34,200
Unemployment rate (percent)a
All SEH fields
1.3
2.1
1.4
1.7
2.4
2.1
Biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences
1.1
2.0
1.4
1.9
2.2
2.2
Computer and information sciences
0.9
2.4
1.4
1.2
2.1
1.8
Mathematics and statistics
1.5
2.4
1.0
1.0
1.5
1.2
Physical sciences
1.7
2.5
2.1
2.4
3.5
2.7
Psychology
0.8
1.7
0.9
1.3
1.7
1.6
Social sciences
1.3
1.5
1.0
1.3
1.9
1.9
Engineering
1.7
2.7
1.4
1.8
2.8
1.9
Health
0.5
1.3
0.7
1.0
1.9
2.0
SEH = science, engineering, and health.
a Based on count of doctorate recipients in the labor force.
NOTES: Numbers represent weighted counts, rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not add to totals due to rounding. October was the survey reference month in 2003, 2008, and 2010; April was the survey reference month in 2001 and 2006; February was the survey reference month in 2013. Estimates from 2008 vary from those previously published because a revised sample design was retroactively applied. The revised design integrates the international component of the Survey of Doctorate Recipients. Estimates from 2010 and 2013 also reflect the revised sample design. See Data Sources and Availability for more detail.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients.
These and other findings in this InfoBrief are from the 2013 Survey of Doctorate Recipients (SDR), which collects information from individuals who have earned research doctorates in SEH fields from U.S. academic institutions.
Employment Status
Field of Doctoral Study and Years since Doctorate
Of the approximately 735,900 SEH doctoral degree holders in the labor force in 2013, about one-quarter (25.5%) had earned a doctorate in the biological, agricultural, or environmental life sciences; 18.5% had doctorates in engineering; 17.1% in physical sciences; 14.5% in psychology; 12.3% in social sciences; 4.6% in health; 4.5% in mathematics and statistics; and 3.0% in computer and information sciences (percentages derived from table 1). Unemployment rates of SEH doctorates in the labor force ranged from 1.2% for those who received doctorates in mathematics and statistics to 2.7% for those who received doctorates in the physical sciences.
Of the total SEH doctoral population in February 2013, 87.8% was in the labor force, with 76.0% working full time and another 10.1% working part time (table 2). An additional 10.4% of the SEH doctoral population was retired in 2013, whereas the rest was not seeking work (1.7%). Across SEH degree fields, full-time employment ranged from 64.5% for psychology doctorates to 90.0% for computer and information sciences doctorates.
TABLE 2. Employment status of scientists and engineers with U.S. doctoral degrees, by field and years since doctorate: 2013 (Percent)
In labor force
Not in labor force
Field and years since doctorate
Total(number)
All
Working for pay or profit
Unemployeda
All
Retired
Not working, not seeking work
Allworking
Fulltime
Parttime
All U.S. SEH doctorate holders
837,900
87.8
86.0
76.0
10.1
1.8
12.2
10.4
1.7
Field of doctorate
Biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences
211,900
88.6
86.6
79.1
7.5
2.0
11.4
9.2
2.2
Computer and information sciences
23,000
96.5
95.2
90.0
5.2
1.7
3.5
2.6
0.9
Mathematics and statistics
39,200
84.2
83.2
75.5
7.7
1.0
15.8
13.8
2.0
Physical sciences
148,800
84.4
82.1
74.4
7.7
2.3
15.6
13.8
1.7
Psychology
120,200
88.7
87.3
64.5
22.8
1.4
11.3
9.3
2.0
Social sciences
105,900
85.2
83.6
72.1
11.4
1.6
14.8
13.3
1.5
Engineering
150,600
90.5
88.8
82.7
6.1
1.7
9.5
8.4
1.1
Health
38,300
89.3
87.5
76.5
10.7
1.8
10.7
9.1
1.8
Years since doctorate
2 years or less
60,000
98.0
96.2
89.7
6.5
1.8
2.0
D
1.8
3–5 years
80,400
97.8
95.6
89.7
6.0
2.1
2.4
0.4
2.0
6–10 years
112,300
97.0
95.2
87.3
7.9
1.8
3.0
0.9
2.0
11–15 years
110,900
95.5
94.1
85.1
9.0
1.4
4.5
2.2
2.4
16–20 years
98,100
94.4
92.8
84.1
8.7
1.6
5.6
3.4
2.2
21–25 years
80,900
91.5
89.7
80.2
9.5
1.7
8.7
6.8
1.7
More than 25 years
232,800
67.0
65.2
49.3
15.9
1.8
33.0
32.1
0.9
D = suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information.
SEH = science, engineering, and health.
a Based on count of all doctorate recipients.
NOTES: Numbers represent weighted counts, rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Designation of full-time and part-time employment status is based on principal job only, not on all jobs held in labor force. Full-time employed persons are those working at least 35 hours per week at their principal job. Part-time employed persons are those working fewer than 35 hours per week.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients, 2013.
Retirement and part-time work status differed by years since doctorate award. Those who earned their doctorates more than 25 years ago were, as expected, more likely than the younger cohorts to be retired and out of the labor force (32.1% in 2013) and to be working part time (15.9%) (table 2).[4] In contrast, years since doctorate award had no significant relationship with the unemployment rate.[5]
Demographics
Women continue to represent a growing share of doctorate holders, rising to 32.9% of all SEH doctorate holders in February 2013, from 31.5% in October 2010 and 30.2% in October 2008. In 2013, the labor force participation rate among SEH doctorate holders was 89.1% for women, compared with 87.2% for men (table 3). Female SEH doctorate holders were less likely than their male counterparts to be employed full time in 2013 (72.7% of women, 77.5% of men) and more likely not to be seeking work (3.7% of women, 0.8% of men). Female SEH doctorate holders, who as a group are younger than male SEH doctorate holders, were also less likely than their male counterparts to be retired (7.2% of women, 12.1% of men). In contrast, the proportions of female and male doctorate recipients who reported themselves as unemployed in February 2013 were not significantly different (2.0% of women, 1.7% of men).
TABLE 3. Employment status of scientists and engineers with U.S. doctoral degrees, by sex, ethnicity, race, and citizenship: 2013 (Percent)
In labor force
Not in labor force
Sex, ethnicity, race, and citizenship
Total (number)
All
Working for pay or profit
Unemployeda
All
Retired
Not working, not seeking work
All working
Full time
Part time
All U.S. SEH doctorate holders
837,900
87.8
86.0
76.0
10.1
1.8
12.2
10.4
1.7
Sex
Male
562,400
87.2
85.5
77.5
7.9
1.7
12.8
12.1
0.8
Female
275,500
89.1
87.1
72.7
14.4
2.0
10.9
7.2
3.7
Ethnicity and race
Hispanic or Latino
28,800
93.8
92.0
81.9
10.1
2.1
6.3
4.5
1.4
Not Hispanic or Latino
809,200
87.6
85.8
75.7
10.1
1.8
12.4
10.7
1.7
American Indian or Alaska Native
1,800
94.4
88.9
77.8
11.1
D
5.6
5.6
D
Asian
159,400
94.2
92.2
87.6
4.5
2.1
5.8
4.1
1.7
Black or African American
25,900
94.2
91.1
79.9
11.2
3.1
5.4
4.6
0.8
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
1,000
90.0
90.0
80.0
10.0
D
10.0
D
D
White
611,400
85.5
83.9
72.4
11.5
1.6
14.5
12.7
1.8
More than one race
9,700
89.7
85.6
76.3
9.3
3.1
11.3
8.2
3.1
Citizenship
U.S. citizen or permanent resident
809,200
87.4
85.6
75.3
10.4
1.8
12.6
10.8
1.7
Temporary visa holder
28,700
98.6
96.9
94.8
2.1
1.7
1.7
D
1.7
D = suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information.
SEH = science, engineering, and health.
a Based on count of all doctorate recipients.
NOTES: Numbers represent weighted counts, rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not add to totals due to rounding. Designation of full-time and part-time employment status is based on principal job only, not on all jobs held in labor force. Full-time employed persons are those working at least 35 hours per week at their principal job. Part-time employed persons are those working fewer than 35 hours per week. Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients, 2013.
A majority of the SEH doctoral population is white (73.0%), with Asians constituting the next largest group (19.0%). Within the SEH doctoral population, Hispanics or Latinos were employed full time at a higher rate than those who are not Hispanic or Latino (81.9% versus 75.7%). Among those who are not Hispanic or Latino, Asian doctorate holders exhibited a higher level of full-time employment (87.6%) than blacks or African Americans (79.9%), whites (72.4%), and those who reported more than one race (76.3%). Whites were more likely to be retired (12.7%) than were Hispanics or Latinos (4.5%), Asians (4.1%), blacks or African Americans (4.6%), and those reporting more than one race (8.2%) (table 3), reflecting the younger ages of the individuals in the SEH doctoral population who are not white.[6]
In 2013, 3.4% of the SEH doctoral population held temporary visas (derived from table 3). As might be expected based on U.S. visa requirements, almost all of these individuals (96.9%) were working full or part time; a small fraction was not in the labor force in February 2013 (1.7%).
Sector
Four-year educational institutions employed 42.2% of all working SEH doctorate recipients in 2013. Private for-profit firms employed the next-largest share of the doctoral workforce at 32.3% of the total (derived from table 4). Most doctorate recipients in the social sciences were employed in 4-year educational institutions (62.7%). Doctorate recipients in the field of engineering tended to be employed in for-profit firms (58.1%) (derived from table 4).
TABLE 4. Employed scientists and engineers with U.S. doctoral degrees, by employment sector and field of doctorate: 2013
Employment sector
Field of doctorate
All employed
4-year educational institutiona
Private for-profitb
Private non-profit
Federal government
State or local government
Self-employedc
Otherd
All SEH fields
720,800
304,400
233,100
45,500
49,200
16,900
43,400
28,400
Biological, agricultural, and environmental life sciences
183,500
88,800
47,300
14,000
15,700
4,000
6,700
7,000
Computer and information sciences
21,900
8,300
10,500
900
800
D
800
400
Mathematics and statistics
32,600
18,600
9,000
1,300
1,200
200
800
1,400
Physical sciences
122,200
43,600
51,200
6,300
9,500
2,300
4,100
5,200
Psychology
104,900
35,300
20,500
10,000
6,400
5,200
20,800
6,700
Social sciences
88,500
55,500
11,200
5,300
5,100
2,200
4,300
4,900
Engineering
133,700
35,100
77,700
4,600
8,000
2,000
4,500
1,800
Health
33,500
19,000
5,700
3,200
2,300
800
1,500
1,000
D = suppressed to avoid disclosure of confidential information.
SEH = science, engineering, and health.
a Includes 4-year colleges or universities, medical schools (including university-affiliated hospitals or medical centers), and university-affiliated research institutes.
b Includes those self-employed in an incorporated business.
c Self-employed or business owner in a nonincorporated business.
d Includes 2-year colleges, community colleges, technical institutes, other precollege institutions, and employers not broken out separately.
NOTES: Numbers represent weighted counts, rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not add to totals due to rounding.
SOURCE: National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Doctorate Recipients, 2013.
Comparative terms in this InfoBrief (e.g., higher, more or less likely, differ, increase) are based on statistical tests for significant differences at the 95% level. Percentage comparisons in this report are based on unrounded estimates and may differ from percentages calculated from the rounded estimates displayed in the tables.
The ethnicity and race categories reported here are mutually exclusive. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity refers to all individuals who reported Hispanic or Latino origin regardless of racial background. The estimates on racial backgrounds refer to individuals who were not of Hispanic or Latino origin and who reported only one racial background. Individuals who reported more than one racial background are shown as a separate group.
Data in this InfoBrief are from the SDR, a biennial longitudinal survey of individuals who earned doctoral degrees in SEH fields from U.S. institutions. A sample of doctorate recipients is followed throughout their careers until they reach age 76, and the panel is refreshed each survey cycle with a sample of recent doctoral graduates. The SDR has been conducted since 1973 and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health.
The 2013 SDR provides data from 30,696 responding sample members (76.4% response rate), representing an estimated 837,900 SEH doctorate recipients in the United States. Historically, the SDR sample included only U.S.-degreed doctorate recipients residing or working in the United States on the survey reference date. Beginning in 2010, an integrated sample design was implemented, allowing U.S.-degreed doctorate recipients located outside of the United States to be considered eligible for the survey and counted among the national sample. Once the integrated approach was developed, it was retroactively applied to the 2008 SDR data.
[1] Lance A. Selfa is with NORC at the University of Chicago. For more information, contact Steven Proudfoot, Human Resources Statistics Program, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 965, Arlington, VA 22230 (sproudfoot@nsf.gov; 703-292-4434). The authors thank Eric Hedberg, Carolina Milesi, Zachary Gebhardt, NORC at the University of Chicago, for their work on this InfoBrief.
[2] Counts in this InfoBrief represent weighted numbers rounded to the nearest 100. The standard error of the overall doctoral population of 837,900 is 950 (rounded up to the nearest 50). As such, the true number of doctorate recipients with U.S. doctoral degrees living in the United States in February 2013 is estimated (at a 95% confidence interval) to be between 836,000 and 839,700. For a listing of science, engineering, and health fields included in the 2013 Survey of Doctorate Recipients, see technical table B-1 at http://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/doctoratework/2013/#tabs-2.
[3] Unemployment statistics for the general population aged 25 years or older are published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and were obtained from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_03082013.htm (accessed 8 April 2014). The civilian unemployment rate for the population aged 16 years or older—the labor force measure as defined by BLS (http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm#concepts (accessed 7 May 2014)—in February 2013 was 7.7%, which is available at http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000 (accessed on 8 April 2014). Persons are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work.
[4] The length of time since doctorate receipt is associated with age: the median age of those with more than 25 years since doctorate receipt is 65 years, and the median age of those with 25 or fewer years since doctorate receipt is 44 years.
[5] Two measures of unemployment are used in this InfoBrief: (1) the unemployment rate as noted in table 1, which is based on the count of doctorate recipients in the labor force, and (2) the percentage unemployed as noted in tables 2 and 3, which is based on the count of all doctorate recipients, regardless of whether they are in the labor force.
[6] Because of the small sizes of the populations of (1) American Indians or Alaska Natives and (2) Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders, statistically reliable comparisons between these two groups and others were not possible.
National Science Foundation, National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Unemployment among Doctoral Scientists and Engineers Remained Below the National Average in 2013
Arlington, VA (NSF 14-317) [September 2014]
