Only a third of those with a third degree in Israel are employed at universities

This is according to a survey conducted by the National R&D Council at the Ministry of Science:

Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel. Photo: Kobi Kantor for People and Computers
Prof. Yitzhak Ben Israel. Photo: Kobi Kantor for People and Computers

A survey by the National Research and Development Council at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, carried out by the Central Bureau of Statistics, shows that only 31% of those with a third degree are employed at universities in Israel, but also that about 65% (about 19 thousand people) of those with a third degree in Israel are engaged in in some research in their work.

Bachelor's degree in law or communication? Master's degree in psychology or biology? PhD in international law or physics? A bachelor's degree is a routine matter in Israel today. A master's degree has become a very common degree and in light of the variety of academic tracks offered for master's studies in both colleges and universities, it has become the most common. Third degrees are not that common, but it is becoming clear that Israel, which has a large number of PhD holders, is unable to provide work for many of them. "The meaning of the figure is that about a third of those with a third degree in Israel do not find a response to their research skills in the Israeli labor market, which encourages the phenomenon of brain drain and leads to the underutilization of high-quality human capacity in Israel and may even lead to a deterioration in the scope of research," explains the chairman of the National R&D Council at the Ministry Science, Technology and Space Prof. General (Resp.) Yitzhak Ben-Israel. "The low utilization of PhD holders in universities indicates a lack of research standards in academia. Removing the existing barriers could contribute greatly to strengthening research and development in industry and its scientific and technological advancement," adds Prof. Ben-Israel.

In response to the findings, the Minister of Science, Technology and Space, Jacob Perry, said: "Universities are no longer accepting in large numbers compared to the number of people who complete a doctorate, which is steadily increasing. It is necessary to provide an occupational response to this high-quality workforce in the private sector by increasing government support for research institutes, the knowledge industries, and start-up companies and drug development ".

The survey, conducted in 2010 and now published for the first time, followed the careers of PhD holders in Israel. The data was collected through a questionnaire that the respondents filled out online, by mail and by phone and engaged in research and post-doctoral training among PhD holders.

A segmentation by field of study reveals that among holders of a Ph.D. in the fields of biological sciences, physical sciences, engineering and architecture, there are higher percentages of those engaged in research (between 70% and 79%), than among holders of a Ph.D. in the fields of mathematics, statistics, and computer sciences ( About 66%), social sciences andLaw degrees (about 57%), humanities (about 51%), medicine and agriculture (about 45%).

However, the survey shows that about 73% of the employed third degree holders work in a position for which the required degree was a third degree. About 87% of those with a third degree are employed in academic professions such as chemists, biologists, lecturers in higher education institutions, etc. Out of this group, about 70% engaged in research as part of their work. The rest of the third degree holders are mainly employed as managers and in liberal and technical professions.

As for the place of employment, it appears that only 31.1% of PhD holders were employed in universities, 14.4% in colleges, 11% in health and welfare services, 10.5% in industry, 8.2% in computing services and research and development, 7.4% in public administration and 17.4% in other sectors of the economy. . Among those employed in universities, in industry, and in computing and research and development services, where about half of PhD holders are employed, more than 76.7% were engaged in research. In colleges, 67.2% were engaged in research, and among those employed in health and welfare services, 41.5% were engaged in research.

Among those who engaged in research and development in their work, they spent an average of 56% of their time in research, an average of 21.2% of their time in academic teaching, an average of 6.7% of their time in counseling, an average of 2.2% of their time in other teaching, and an average of 14% in other activities.

In biological sciences, physical sciences, and mathematics, statistics, and computer science, Ph.D. holders engaged in research or development for approximately two-thirds of their time on average, while in the humanities, social sciences, and law, Ph.D. holders engaged in academic teaching for more than a third of their time on average.

The survey also shows that only 33% of those with a third degree completed a post-doctorate. About two-thirds of the postdoctoral fellows had a Ph.D. in physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and computer science (33.4%), and in biological sciences (32.7%), while only about 11% of the postdoctoral fellows had a Ph.D. in social sciences or a law degree, About 10% in the humanities, 7.2% in engineering and architecture, and 6.1% in the fields of medicine, agriculture or an unknown field of study.

An interesting question that was not discussed in the study, because it focused on PhD holders, is the one concerning the proportion of those who actually practice their profession among those studying for a practical bachelor's degree such as an engineer's bachelor's degree, Bachelor's law degree or a bachelor's degree in nursing and among those studying for second practical degrees.

Another figure that was researched points to the gap between women and men in post-doctoral studies: 77.4% of the men with a PhD who completed a post-doctorate did so mainly outside of Israel - about 54% in the USA, 3.5% in England and 20% elsewhere or unknown In contrast, about 48% of the women with a PhD who completed a post-doctorate did so in Israel.

"Postdoctoral training abroad is a necessary milestone on the way to an academic career in Israel," says Prof. Yitzhak Ben-Israel. deep which constitutes a barrier to the entry and advancement of women in the Israeli academy."

Comments

  1. ram

    You're right. Even the lamenter in the article, Yitzhak Ben Israel, has spent the vast majority of his career outside academia.

    The situation is simple, the academy cannot provide jobs for most of its students, therefore they have to plan their studies in such a way that they will work outside of it.

  2. In the title it says: "Only a third of those with a third degree in Israel are employed at universities"
    But then it is written: ""The meaning of the figure is that about a third of those with a third degree in Israel do not find a response to their research skills in the Israeli labor market, which encourages the phenomenon of brain drain and leads to the underutilization of the high-quality human capacity in Israel and may even lead to a deterioration in the scope of research" - so why "just " - that's a bad number - it's better that more of them find work outside the academy, isn't it? - Or is it the opposite? This whole article is one big mess, what is it trying to say?

  3. Just a question, why stay here?
    In Canada there is no conscription for the army, the taxation is ridiculous compared to what goes on here.
    And humans, they are humans and not monkeys who see themselves on top of the world and are surprised every time when it turns out that they really aren't.

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