The rising demand in the last two years for nanotechnology workers in Israel was halted with the onset of the recession

From a survey prepared by a niche group for the Nanotech conference, it appears that despite the crisis in the markets, it can be seen that nanotechnology companies almost never fire employees 

A survey by the "Niche" group, which deals with placement in the fields of technology, conducted especially for the "Nano-Israel 2009" week, reveals that during 2007-2008 there was a significant increase in the demand for workers in the field of nanotechnology. When the entire economy went on the defensive in October 2008, demand in the field was completely halted. However, the survey points out that even today, despite the crisis in the markets, it can be observed that nanotechnology companies hardly ever fire workers. The editors of the survey, which was based on the activities of about 100 nanotechnology companies, point out that in terms of their characteristics and organizational structure, the companies are almost completely similar to the technology companies in Israel.

During 2007-2008, there was a 10 percent increase in the demand for the professions of chemists/chemical engineers/R&D, when a real difficulty was identified in locating experienced candidates (gap between demand and supply) in the fields of chemists for R&D, project managers and formulators. The demand for chemists in the nano companies is mainly for analytical chemists, project managers and material engineers. The demand for hardware and software engineers in the nano market has remained constant in recent years and has maintained stability - with a marginal increase of up to 5 percent depending on the development of the company.

In terms of wages, compared to previous years, there was an increase of up to 5 percent during the last year and starting from October 2008, the trend of wage growth stopped completely. According to "Nisha", the field is currently witnessing a decrease in the salary levels offered to candidates.

For example, a beginner chemist usually earns around NIS 7-9 thousand, experienced chemists (up to 3 years of experience) earn NIS 10-16 thousand. Beginning chemical/materials engineers earn up to NIS 10, while the experienced (up to 3 years of experience) will earn 12+.

In the business field - business development, marketing and sales, product management, etc. - the salary level in the nano field is usually average compared to the market and sometimes lower (up to 5 percent), as the issue usually depends on the size of the company. The survey indicates that in some of the nanotechnology companies, due to the small size of the companies, sometimes the CEO takes on the marketing and sales duties and that the marketing and sales people who come to these companies come mainly from the worlds of chemistry, pharma, medical devices and high-tech.

The demand for mechanical engineers in the nano field in the last two years was very high, the survey said - compared to a relatively low supply of candidates, when the demand for specialization is derived from the company's product, when the common specializations requested are mostly for plastics and optics. As for salary levels, a mechanical engineer will earn about NIS 15-20 thousand (up to 20 years of experience) and NIS 25-5 thousand (up to XNUMX years of experience). The salary in the last two years in this segment has remained essentially unchanged and maintains a high stability.

Software/hardware engineers in nanotechnology companies often come to positions of development, system engineering, project management, etc. Although the salary of the software and hardware engineers (until the beginning of the crisis period) increased in the market by 10-15 percent, in the nanotechnology market almost no increase in salary was recorded.

"Today there are quite a few companies in Israel that pride themselves on the miniaturization of materials, components, down to nanometric levels, but would they all be considered nanotechnology companies? There is no doubt that the definitions of the field will be determined by the emerging market", says Lizzie Shoub London, co-director of Niche Biotech. "It is clear that today there is still a lack of people who are experts in the field and especially entrepreneurs who can see ahead the various applications from which it is possible to grow forward."

"Nano-Israel 2009" will be held at the "Anbal" hotel in Jerusalem, between March 30 and 31, 2009. The event was organized by the "Conference Exhibitions" company (which is also behind the "Biomed Israel" week) and in collaboration with INNI - the Israeli National Nanotechnology Initiative - and central The nanotechnology in the different universities.
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