The labour market for research and innovation professionals

Statistics on the size, specialisation, distribution and characteristics of the workforce engaged in research and experimental development (R&D), are based on official business and organisational surveys conducted by National Statistical Organisations and offer insights into a key dimension of demand for R&I talent. These statistics are reported annually to the OECD and portray the entire population of “R&D personnel” as the sum of those under the separate functional categories of “R&D researchers”, “R&D technicians” and “Other R&D support staff”, typically involved in implementation and support roles. The concept of “researcher” is defined in the OECD Frascati Manual to comprise not only scientific researchers but also R&D professionals, including managers and engineers, engaged in the design and oversight of R&D activity and projects across all sectors.

Organisations often face challenges in collating and reporting detailed personal data on their staff and collaborators, which leaves notable gaps in the available statistical information. Despite these limitations, existing data offer considerable insight into the profiles and sectoral distribution of R&D personnel across countries, as well as their concentration in national workforces. It shows that the balance of R&D employment across performing sectors varies from country to country, with implications for career opportunities, working conditions, and patterns of knowledge production and transfer. Trend data indicate, however, that in recent years the business sector has become an increasingly important employer of R&D personnel in many countries, reflecting changes in how research is organised and the growing role of firms in knowledge creation and innovation.

Labour market indicators for key groups with advanced qualifications and skills, compared across countries, help to signal relative levels of national demand for R&I talent. While standard occupational and industrial classifications do not capture R&I activity unambiguously, they offer useful insight into how economies employ skilled professionals in R&I-related functions and sectors.

The occupational distribution of highly qualified workers shows that R&I skills are frequently applied well beyond formal research roles. A sizeable share of doctorate and master's degree holders work in professional occupations, indicating that R&I competences are widely used in analytical, engineering, managerial and other knowledge-intensive functions. The market economy also plays a central role in employment of highly qualified staff, underlining the importance of private-sector demand for advanced skills and the role of firms in applying R&I capabilities. 

The quality of jobs and working conditions for R&I professionals influences the careers people choose and the extent to which countries can attract and retain skilled professionals. Indicators on employment outcomes and working conditions give policymakers and employers a clearer view of what makes R&I careers appealing, and where shortcomings may be deterring people from entering or remaining in them.

Employment rates of doctorate and master's degree holders offer a direct measure of how strongly labour markets absorb people with advanced qualifications. Differences across countries point to variations in demand for highly skilled workers and in how well-equipped economies are able to offer high-quality employment opportunities that make the best use of their advanced competencies.

The attractiveness of R&I jobs depends on many factors. Some are common to all good jobs: pay, benefits, job security and flexibility. Others are more specific to R&I careers, such as the chance to advance the frontiers of knowledge, work with autonomy, and pursue entrepreneurial or societal goals. Many of these factors are hard to measure, but even the more readily quantifiable aspects are difficult to capture reliably across countries and sectors, given the wide variety of R&I jobs, jobholders and their motivations. Improving labour market indicators is a priority for ReICO and its national partners, who are working together to address these measurement challenges.